The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) launched its first mpox vaccination campaign on Saturday, aiming to curb an outbreak that has spread across Africa. The campaign began in the city of Goma, where healthcare workers were the first to receive the vaccine. The launch marks a significant step in addressing the spread of mpox, which has affected multiple African countries this year.
Despite the urgency, Congo’s Health Ministry emphasized that the campaign will be limited due to resource constraints, with only 265,000 vaccine doses currently available, though more are expected soon. This effort seeks to correct a global inequity, as African nations had previously lacked access to mpox vaccines, which were widely distributed in Europe and the U.S. during a global outbreak in 2022. The World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted the importance of this campaign in containing the virus and protecting communities.
Mpox, which spreads through close contact and can cause flu-like symptoms and skin lesions, is typically mild but can be fatal in rare cases. The WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency in August after identifying a new variant. Congo has been particularly hard-hit, reporting over 30,000 suspected and confirmed cases and 990 deaths in 2024, representing 90% of Africa’s cases this year.
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