Mpox epidemic serious, Democratic Republic of Congo launches vaccination campaign
On October 5th, vaccination efforts against Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, commenced in Goma, a city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, currently grappling with a significant outbreak. A Congolese health official at a local hospital was seen preparing to administer the Mpox vaccine.
“We encountered logistical hurdles in distributing the vaccines across this expansive Central African nation, which has limited infrastructure. This pushed back our initial plan to start vaccinations on October 2nd by three days,” explained a health representative involved in the campaign.
The first group to receive the vaccines will be healthcare workers, with broader public vaccinations in the eastern region scheduled to begin on October 7th. This current outbreak traces back to a prior spread that started a year ago.
Dr. Jeannine Muhavi, the first individual to be vaccinated, expressed her views: “As a doctor on the front lines, I frequently interact with patients… I want to protect myself.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) took to social media to emphasize that this vaccination initiative is “a vital step in the ongoing efforts to control the outbreak and save lives.”
So far, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has received 265,000 doses of the vaccine, thanks to donations from the United States and the European Union. The country is also anticipating the arrival of millions more doses pledged by France, Japan, and the United States.
