The arrival of vaccines to combat the rising Mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and surrounding areas may be delayed for months. The World Health Organization (WHO) is considering declaring the outbreak an emergency, following the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s (Africa CDC) declaration on August 13.
The following day, experts convened to assess the global impact of the outbreak.
While there were hopes that these actions would enhance international efforts, obstacles such as limited vaccine supply, inadequate funding, and other ongoing health crises remain significant hurdles.
The head of Congo’s Institute National pour la Recherche Biomédicale stressed the critical need for an emergency declaration due to the rapid spread of the disease. He hopes this will lead to increased funding and better access to vaccines in Congo, although he acknowledges the challenges faced by a nation already dealing with conflict and other health issues.
Emergency funding of $10.4 million from the African Union has been allocated to address the Mpox outbreak, with plans to secure 3 million vaccine doses this year. However, details on this plan remain limited. In Congo, only 65,000 doses are anticipated soon, and vaccination efforts are not expected to start before October.
So far this year, Africa has seen over 15,000 suspected Mpox cases and 461 deaths, mostly among children in Congo. The virus, while typically mild, can be severe, causing flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions.
A new variant of the virus has sparked outbreaks in refugee camps in eastern Congo and has spread to Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and Kenya for the first time. Ivory Coast and South Africa are also experiencing outbreaks linked to a different strain that became global in 2022.
During that outbreak, two vaccines were used—one from Bavarian Nordic and another from KM Biologics. These vaccines have not been available in Congo or other African regions where Mpox is endemic. Only one of these vaccines is approved for children.
Although Congo’s regulators approved these vaccines in June, the government has yet to request them from manufacturers or international donors.
