The Democratic Republic of Congo has launched its first vaccination campaign against mpox in the eastern city of Goma, starting with health workers and those with existing health issues. The campaign is limited due to a shortage of resources, with only 265,000 doses available, but more doses are expected to arrive from France, Japan, and the United States. The World Health Organization’s Africa Director has stated that the vaccine rollout is an important step in limiting the spread of the virus.
Since the beginning of 2024, the DRC has reported over 30,000 suspected and confirmed cases of mpox and 900 deaths. The virus can spread through close contact with infected individuals or animals, causing flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. A more infectious variant named clade Ib has been identified, leading the WHO to declare mpox a public health emergency. The virus has been detected in 16 African countries this year.
The WHO has approved a PCR test to detect mpox by swabbing skin lesions, with the DRC receiving about 4,500 tests from the organization. The vaccine campaign in Goma is the first step towards controlling the spread of the virus and ensuring the safety of communities. US President Joe Biden has pledged to donate one million doses of the mpox vaccine to African nations, demonstrating international support for efforts to combat the outbreak.
Source
Photo credit www.aljazeera.com