Democratic Republic of Congo kicks off vaccinations against mpox, following delays

After a delay due to logistical difficulties, Congolese authorities have started administering vaccinations against mpox in an attempt to curb the outbreak.

265,000 doses were given to the DRC by the EU and the US, have been administered in the city of Goma and north Kivu province, where healthcare resources have been stretched amid the surge in mpox cases.

The country, which has recorded some 30,000 cases, accounts for more than 80% of all the cases and 99% of deaths reported on the continent this year. More than 850 deaths from the disease have been reported in the DRC this year.

Back in August, the WHO declared that the surge in mpox cases in the DRC, which spread to several countries, constituted a global health emergency.

Beyond the African continent, a handful of cases have also been recorded in countries including Sweden and Pakistan.

Caused by a virus in the same family as smallpox, mpox was initially passed from animals to humans. It is transmitted from person to person through close contact with someone who is infected.

The current outbreak has seen the spread of a new strain of the disease dubbed clade 1b, which is more serious than clade 2, which triggered a public health emergency in 2022.