By Iyemah David
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have delivered the first shipment of JYNNEOS Mpox vaccines to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
This is part of a critical vaccination campaign to curb the escalating epidemic.
A total of 99,100 doses of the vaccine were delivered, marking a significant milestone in the country’s fight against mpox.
Dr Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa CDC, made this known in a statement issued to newsmen on Thursday.
Nigeria’s battle against Mpox also received a boost with the arrival of 10,000 JYNNEOS vaccines donated by the U.S. government, targeting high-risk regions.
JYNNEOS, a third-generation vaccine licensed for both smallpox and Mpox prevention, is recommended for individuals at risk of orthopoxvirus infections.
The vaccine uses the Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) virus and has been approved for adults aged 18 and older. Since its commercial release in April 2024, it has played a vital role in Mpox prevention.
Kaseya noted that the vaccine shipment to the DRC was officially received by the country’s Minister of Health, Samuel Roger Kamba, alongside UNICEF Representative Grant Leaity and the European Union’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) Director-General, Laurent Muschel.
He said that since the beginning of 2024, the DRC has reported over 4,901 confirmed mpox cases and 629 deaths, reflecting a sharp rise in both infections and fatalities.
“The introduction of the JYNNEOS vaccine represents a major step in containing the outbreak and protecting high-risk populations, particularly health workers.
“This first shipment of nearly 100,000 doses is just the beginning,” said Dr.
Kaseya. “By the end of this week, an additional 100,900 doses will arrive, making a total of 200,000 doses available to protect our people and contain the virus.”
“Minister Kamba underscored the importance of the vaccines in protecting the DRC’s most vulnerable populations, including children.
“HERA’s Laurent Muschel stressed the urgency of timely vaccine delivery in response to the public health emergency,”.
He said that this coordinated effort was expected to help the DRC control the spread of Mpox and reduce its devastating impact on the population.
The current outbreak is of particular concern due to its rapid spread, especially in dense urban areas.
The DRC, a Central African country of about 100 million people, is at the epicentre of the outbreak.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) in August declared Mpox a global public health emergency.
Mpox has been reported in at least 13 African countries, with Guinea recently confirming its first case.
The virus has also been detected in Pakistan, the Philippines, Sweden, and Thailand. The WHO declared a global emergency on August 14 due to the surge in cases of the new clade 1b strain.
