JOHANNESBURG

Congo received its first shipment of mpox vaccines to help curb the spread of the virus in the epicenter of the outbreak on the continent.

“We are pleased to receive the first shipment of close to 100,000 doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine in the DR Congo, with an additional 100,900 doses arriving this Saturday, 7 September 2024,” Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Director General Dr. Jean Kaseya said in a statement with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Kaseya said by the end of the week, 200,000 doses will be available in the Congo -- a country that has reported more than 4,901 confirmed mpox cases, with more than 629 associated deaths, since the start of 2024. The numbers represent a sharp escalation in infections and fatalities compared to previous years.

He said the arrival of the vaccines shows the strong partnership between Africa CDC, the EU through the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), and Bavarian Nordic.

“Receiving these vaccines is an essential step in our fight against mpox. Our commitment is to safeguard our population’s health, particularly our children, who are the most vulnerable. We will continue working closely with our partners to control the spread of this disease and ensure a healthy future for all Congolese,” said Kaseya.

Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said in a statement that his agency is “delighted that we were able to respond to the Public Health Emergency of International Concern in record time, ensuring that vaccines are arriving in the DRC as of today.”

UNICEF’s representative in the Congo, Grant Leaity, said, ‘‘Mpox is a preventable disease, and vaccination with JYNNEOS has proven to be highly effective in reducing transmission and preventing severe complications.”

He said the Congolese Health Ministry, in partnership with UNICEF, is actively assessing the needs of children and adolescents to extend vaccination coverage to younger populations, if necessary.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared mpox a global public health emergency Aug. 14 and Africa CDC declared it a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) a day earlier.