First European mpox vaccines arrive in DR Congo
A first shipment of nearly 100,000 doses of mpox vaccine arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, the European Commission announced. The country has been at the epicentre of an mpox outbreak since September 2023.
A second shipment of 100,000 doses is expected in the next few days. The vaccines are part of an order of 215,000 doses placed by the European Commission's Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority for African countries affected by the outbreak.
In addition, France, Germany, Spain and several other member states have donated 351,500 doses, which will be distributed to affected countries by the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Global solidarity
"We know from the COVID-19 pandemic that we can only fight health threats like mpox by working in partnership and global solidarity across borders. This is the European Health Union in action," said EU Health and Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides in a press release.
Earlier on Thursday, the NGO Doctors of the World stressed the urgent need for more international mobilisation in the fight against the virus. The organisation wants access to screening, treatment and vaccines to be guaranteed, including in remote areas plagued by insecurity.
19,000 cases
Compared to 2023, the number of mpox cases has increased by up to 160 per cent, according to Doctors of the World. The virus has been responsible for nearly 19,000 cases and almost 700 deaths in 13 African countries, the NGO said.
In mid-August, the WHO declared the highest level of alert due to a new, deadlier variant of the mpox virus. The new strain has hardest hit the Democratic Republic of Congo, but cases have also been reported in other African countries.
A patient suffering from mpox at Kavumu hospital in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, August 2024 © PHOTO GLODY MURHABAZI / AFP
Related news
