Reuters/KINSHASA -The first round of mpox vaccinations was given to the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Thursday; health officials are hoping this would help contain the outbreak that has led to the United Nations declaring a worldwide public health emergency.
The outbreak’s epicenter is in Congo, and it has now expanded to neighboring nations and other places. However, efforts to limit the frequently fatal disease’s spread across Africa have been impeded by a shortage of vaccines.
roughly 12:00 GMT, or roughly 13:00 local time, a plane carrying dosages provided by the European Union and made by Bavarian Nordic landed in Kinshasa’s capital, according to Reuters correspondents at the airport.
Samuel Roger Kamba Mulamba, the health minister of Congo, said reporters that the just arriving vaccine has already shown promise in the US and will be made available to adults in the country.
“We are aware of the worst-hit areas, which include South Kivu and Equateur… As soon as possible, the infection is to be contained “said the speaker.
According to Laurent Muschel, the chairman of the EU Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), this initial cargo totals 99,000 doses, and a second delivery on Saturday will bring the total to 200,000 doses.
In total, Muschel told Reuters, Europe wants to transport 566,000 doses to the areas in the region with the highest needs. “Based on the number of cases, the next country (for deliveries) should be Burundi, but the country’s medical agency must authorise it.”
The introduction of the vaccine in Congo should begin to rectify a significant injustice that has prevented African nations from having access to the two vaccinations that were employed in the worldwide mpox outbreak of 2022, despite their widespread availability in Europe and the US.
Congo has stated that it will begin its vaccination campaign on October 8 in order to give time for a comprehensive awareness-raising campaign aimed at dispelling skepticism in some regions.
Mumps can be fatal and usually presents with flu-like symptoms and pus-filled sores. The health ministry reports that in the first eight months of this year, 19,710 suspected instances of mpox were documented in Congo. Of those, 655 were fatal and 5,041 were confirmed.
Close touch, especially sexual interaction, is how it spreads.
