GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has initiated its first mpox vaccination campaign in Goma to combat a severe outbreak. The campaign began with healthcare workers receiving the vaccine, marking a vital step in controlling the virus’s spread. However, due to limited resources, the campaign’s scope is restricted, with only 265,000 doses currently available. More vaccines are expected to arrive in the future.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has emphasized the importance of this rollout, addressing the stark inequity that left African nations without vaccines during the 2022 global mpox outbreak, while Europe and the U.S. had widespread access. Mpox, primarily spread through close contact, can be fatal in rare cases, and Congo has reported over 30,000 suspected and confirmed cases this year, along with 990 deaths. The WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency due to a new variant detected in August, further underscoring the campaign’s urgency.
