KINSHASA, DR Congo (AFP) — The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has strengthened its fight against the ongoing mpox epidemic with the arrival of 50,000 additional vaccine doses from the United States. This new shipment adds to a previous donation of approximately 200,000 doses from the European Union, dramatically increasing the nation’s supply for combating the virus.
The DRC, at the epicenter of the latest mpox outbreak, has reported over 21,500 cases and more than 700 deaths according to the nation’s public health institute. Highlighting the gravity of the situation, the US ambassador to the DRC, Lucy Tamlyn, announced the vaccine arrival on her X account on Tuesday.
In addition to the US shipment, 15,000 doses from the Gavi Vaccine Alliance arrived on the same plane, bringing the total number of vaccines delivered to the DRC to an impressive 265,000. This includes a substantial batch of 100,000 doses from the EU that arrived in the DRC’s capital, Kinshasa, on Sunday. The first installment of the EU-donated vaccines reached the country the preceding Thursday.
The vaccines, manufactured by the Danish laboratory Bavarian Nordic, are currently the only ones approved for use in both Europe and the United States, and are solely intended for adult recipients. Bavarian Nordic is in the process of seeking approval from the European Medicines Agency to utilize the vaccine for children aged 12 to 17. Meanwhile, Japan has authorized another mpox vaccine for both adults and children, and the DRC is actively discussing possible supplies from Japan.
Alarming statistics from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that 62% of mpox cases in the DRC are among children, who also account for four out of every five deaths from the disease.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international emergency over mpox on August 14, due to rapidly rising cases of the Clade 1b strain in the DRC and its spread to neighboring countries. Both Clade 1b and Clade 1a strains are prevalent in the DRC.
Originally named monkeypox after its discovery in monkeys in 1958 in Denmark, mpox was first identified in humans in 1970 in the region known today as the DRC. The virus primarily transmits to humans via infected animals but can also spread through close physical contact between humans. Symptoms of mpox include fever, muscle aches, and large, boil-like skin lesions.
The epidemic is not limited to the DRC, with the virus now present in at least 14 African countries, including Burundi, Congo-Brazzaville, and the Central African Republic, according to Africa CDC figures. The international community continues to ramp up efforts to control the spread of mpox and provide much-needed aid to the affected regions.
