DR Congo approves Mpox vaccines as 20,000 cases recorded, 1000 dead in one year

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have approved two mpox vaccines to combat a surge in cases and a dangerous new strain.

Since the beginning of last year, Congo has reported over 20,000 mpox cases and more than 1,000 deaths, predominantly among children.

Mpox, a viral infection spread through close contact, causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions.

While most cases are mild, the disease can be fatal.

This week, the World Health Organization (WHO) and scientists issued warnings about a more deadly mpox strain in Congo’s South Kivu province.

In response, Congo’s regulatory body has granted emergency-use authorization for Bavarian Nordic’s Jynneos and KM Biologics’ LC16 vaccines.

The first mpox case in Congo was recorded in 1970, but the country has had limited access to vaccines and treatments outside clinical trials.

In contrast, mpox vaccines were widely available in Europe and the U.S. in 2022 during a global outbreak of a less severe strain.

In Congo’s current outbreak, responses have been hampered by regulatory barriers, funding shortages, other disease outbreaks, and stigma.

Sania Nishtar, Chief Executive of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, noted that her organization was prepared to facilitate vaccine donations from the U.S. and Japan once approval is finalized.

Gavi, which supports vaccine purchases for low-income countries, cannot buy the vaccines without WHO pre-qualification. Consequently, Gavi relies on donated vaccines.

“I cannot predict how long it will take to get the doses on the ground due to dependency on various factors, especially from donor countries,” Nishtar said.