First mpox vaccines arrive in Congo after outbreak labelled 'public health emergency'

A man suffering from mpox waits for treatment. Credit: AP

The first batch of mpox vaccine has arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) capital three weeks after the World Health Organisation declared the virus a global emergency.

Manufactured by the Danish company Bavarian Nordic, the European Union (EU) donated 100,000 doses of the MVA-BN vaccine through its health emergency agency (HERA).

By August, more than 511 deaths had been recorded as a result of the virus in the DRC since the start of the year, and more than 14,000 cases.

When the figures were published, the African Union declared a "public health emergency" over the growing outbreak across the continent.

As efforts to control the spread of the disease continue, another 100,000 are expected to be delivered on Saturday, Congolese authorities said.

Unicef will manage the vaccination campaign in the most affected provinces of Kinshasa, but the start date of the vaccination drive is unclear, DRC’s Health Minister Roger Kamba said.

Western partners, including the EU and the United States, have promised about 380,000 doses of mpox vaccines.

This is less than 15% of the 3 million doses authorities said are needed to end mpox outbreaks in Congo, the epicentre of the global health emergency.

Mpox spread mostly undetected for years in Africa before the 2022 outbreak of the disease in over 70 countries.

The disease had previously mostly been seen in sporadic epidemics in central and West Africa when people came into contacted with infected animals.

Monkeypox was renamed mpox by the WHO due to concerns about stigma.

Handout image issued by the UK Health Security Agency of the stages of Mpox Credit: UKHSA/PA

What is mpox?

Mpox is an infection that can cause symptoms like a high temperature, a rash, and muscle aches.

It is caused by the mpox virus and can be spread from person to person through close contact.

This includes:

  • touching clothing, bedding or towels used by someone with the mpox rash

  • touching mpox skin blisters or scabs

  • through the coughs or sneezes of a person with a mpox rash

In parts of central and west Africa, mpox can be caught from an infected animal if you're bitten or if you touch its blood, body fluids, spots, blisters or scabs.

It may also be possible to catch mpox by eating meat from an infected animal that has not been cooked thoroughly, or by touching other products from infected animals (such as animal skin or fur).

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