The first batch of mpox vaccines has arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo, three weeks after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared mpox outbreaks in 12 African countries a global emergency.
The 100,000 doses of the MVA-BN vaccine, manufactured by the Danish company Bavarian Nordic, have been donated by the European Union through HERA, the bloc's agency for health emergencies.
"This will be the first delivery of the vaccine to the country. The second delivery of around 100,000 doses is expected to arrive in the following days," said EU Commission spokesperson, Stefan de Keersmaecker.
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"These deliveries are part of the 215,000 vaccine doses that the European Commission, HERA, that is Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority procured and also pledged to share with affected countries in Africa".
Congolese authorities confirmed a further 100,000 doses are expected to be delivered on Saturday.
UNICEF is going to be in charge of the vaccination campaign in the most impacted provinces, Congo's Health Minister Roger Kamba told reporters after the delivery of the vaccine.
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But it remained unclear when the vaccination drive would begin.
About 380,000 doses of mpox vaccines have been promised by Western partners such as the European Union and the United States, Dr Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters last week.
That is less than 15 per cent of the three million doses authorities have said are needed to end the mpox outbreaks in Congo, the epicentre of the global health emergency.
Last week, the organisation said there were more than 22,800 mpox cases and 622 deaths on the continent and that infections had jumped 200 per cent in the last week.
The majority of cases and deaths are in the DRC, where the new mpox variant was first detected and where most mpox infections are in children under 15.
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Following the global mpox outbreak in 2022, wealthy countries quickly responded with vaccines and treatments from their stockpiles.
However, only a few doses have reached Africa despite pleas from governments there.
The MVA-BN vaccine has already been used in Europe and the United States, the EU said, and it is authorised for use in adults.
The European Medicines Agency is examining additional data to be able to administer it to children aged 12 to 17, which could happen at the end of the month.
215,000 doses were pledged and purchased for an undisclosed amount specifically to be donated to Congo, said Laurent Muschel, the Director-General of HERA.
The US said last week that it donated 10,000 doses of mpox vaccines to Nigeria, where the disease has been common.
Related- WHO declares Africa's mpox outbreak a global health emergency as new strain spreads
It is the first known donation to Africa since the current outbreaks.
Nigeria has recorded 40 cases of the virus this year, according to Nigeria’s CDC.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, had been spreading mostly undetected for years in Africa before the disease prompted the 2022 outbreak in more than 70 countries, Dr Dimie Ogoina, the chair of WHO's mpox emergency committee told reporters last month.
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