Sept 4 (Reuters) – Democratic Republic of Congo, epicentre of an mpox outbreak that prompted a U.N. declaration of a global public health emergency, said it expects to receive its first delivery of vaccine doses on Thursday and a second delivery on Saturday.
At a press conference in Geneva later in the day, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed the doses were due to arrive in Congo.
The vaccine doses’ arrival should help address a huge inequity that has left African countries with no access to the two shots used in a 2022 global mpox outbreak, while they were widely available in Europe and the United States.
Washington and Brussels have pledged tens of thousands of doses of a vaccine made by Bavarian Nordic.
The head of country delivery for the global vaccine alliance Gavi, Thabani Maphosa, told Reuters on Wednesday that around 200,000 doses would arrive in the first tranche.
Health authorities face a steep challenge launching the vital campaign across a vast equatorial country the size of western Europe.
The doses must be kept at -90 degrees Celsius (-130°F) and communities can be wary of participating.
“The vaccine will not be distributed as soon as it is received,” Kacita said, explaining why it would take around a month from delivery to launch the campaign.
Children are at high risk from mpox, but Bavarian Nordic’s shot is not licensed for children.
There were 19,710 suspected cases of mpox reported in Congo in the first eight months of this year, according to the health ministry.
September 4 (Reuters): The Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to the epicenter of an mpox outbreak that sparked a U.S. N. . declared a global public health emergency, stating that it anticipates receiving two deliveries of vaccine doses: one on Thursday and the other on Saturday.
The lack of vaccines has complicated efforts to stop the disease’s spread, despite the World Health Organization’s declaration of a health emergency last month.
“The first shipment will arrive in September. 5 and another one on September. 7 “Cris Kacita, the head of Congo’s mpox outbreak response chief, told Reuters via a WhatsApp message on Wednesday. He did not provide additional information regarding the quantity of doses or the supplier.
Later on in the day, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of WHO, stated during a press conference in Geneva that the doses were scheduled to arrive in Congo. The European Union donates them, and Bavarian Nordic produces them.
The arrival of the vaccine doses should help rectify a major injustice that has prevented African nations from having access to the two vaccinations that were used in a global mpox outbreak in 2022, despite their widespread availability in Europe and the US.
Tens of thousands of doses of a vaccine manufactured by Bavarian Nordic have been promised by Washington and Brussels.
Thabani Maphosa, the head of country delivery for the international vaccine alliance Gavi, informed Reuters on Wednesday that the first tranche of vaccines would include about 200,000 doses.
Kacita had stated on Monday that Congo intended to begin the first vaccination wave in October. 8, but that obtaining vaccinations this week would be a prerequisite for doing so.
Launching the crucial campaign throughout a large equatorial nation the size of western Europe presents a significant challenge for health officials. Communities may be cautious about taking part in the doses, which must be maintained at -90 degrees Celsius (-130°F).
It will take about a month from delivery to start the campaign, Kacita explained, adding that “the vaccine will not be distributed as soon as it is received.”.
KEY COMMUNICATION.
The six provinces that were targeted could store the doses at the proper temperature, he added, adding that “we need to communicate so that the population accepts the vaccination.”.
Maria Van Kerkhove, the acting director of epidemic and pandemic prevention for the WHO, stated that while the organization supported Congo’s response, this was its main area of focus.
“We need to examine the communication regarding who will receive the vaccines initially,” she stated, cautioning that misinformation concerning the shots was “quite widespread.”.
According to her, vaccinations will initially be restricted to contacts of confirmed cases because the number of doses is still restricted.
Although the mpox vaccine poses a serious risk to children, Bavarian Nordic is not authorized to administer it to them. Van Kerkhove stated that the WHO advises using it in child outbreaks when the advantages outweigh the hazards, and that the Congo is presently debating whether to implement this recommendation.
Mumps can be fatal and often presents with flu-like symptoms along with pus-filled lesions. According to the health ministry, 19,710 suspected cases of mpox were reported in Congo in the first eight months of this year. 655 of those were fatal, while 5,041 were confirmed.
Sexual contact is one way that it spreads through close contact.
“Rural areas witness the highest death toll among people. A doctor working on Congo’s response, who wished to remain anonymous due to regulations prohibiting media interviews, described these as isolated locations with no support.
The physician expressed concern that while vaccinations around confirmed positive cases would be necessary for the campaign to be successful, many suspected case areas lacked access to clean water and electricity.
Van Kerkhove of the WHO reported that the new clade Ib strain of mpox is becoming more prevalent in neighboring Burundi, where cases have also recently increased. He said that some areas in Congo have run out of tests and requested additional resources to support the response in both places.
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Alexandra Winning, Timothy Heritage, Peter Graff, and Mark Heinrich edited the writing by Alessandra Prentice, with reporting by Sonia Rolley and Jennifer Rigby.
