Congo Receives First Mpox Vaccine Doses Amid Global Emergency

Congo will receive its first mpox vaccine doses from the U.S. next week, following a WHO declaration of a global emergency. Mpox cases are widespread in Africa, especially in Congo, which needs 3 million doses. Most cases and deaths are in children. A new virus variant is also causing concern.

Congo is set to receive its initial doses of mpox vaccines from the United States next week, according to an announcement by the country's health minister on Monday. This follows the World Health Organization's (WHO) recent declaration of mpox outbreaks in Africa as a global emergency.

Mpox cases have been confirmed in over a dozen African countries, affecting both children and adults, with a new strain of the virus spreading. However, the continent faces a shortage of vaccine doses. Congo, which has most of the mpox cases, currently needs 3 million doses. The United States and Japan have pledged to donate vaccines, Health Minister Roger Kamba revealed, although he did not specify the quantity or arrival date for the Japanese doses.

The WHO has recorded over 17,000 mpox cases and more than 500 deaths worldwide this year, with Congo accounting for over 96% of these numbers. Children under 15 make up more than 70% of the cases and 85% of the deaths in the country. A new, more transmissible variant of mpox has been detected in Congo, raising further concerns among scientists. Unlike earlier outbreaks, this new form causes milder symptoms and lesions in different body areas, making detection difficult and increasing the risk of unknowingly spreading the virus.

(With inputs from agencies.)