The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is facing a rapidly spreading mpox outbreak, with over 15,000 suspected cases and 461 deaths reported this year, primarily affecting children. While the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) consider declaring the outbreak a global and continental emergency respectively, crucial vaccines may not reach the DRC for months.
Despite the urgency, various challenges hinder the response. Limited vaccine supply, funding constraints, and competing disease outbreaks, such as measles and cholera, are significantly impacting the DRC’s ability to combat the mpox outbreak. While experts believe declarations would help mobilize global support and resources, they fear that words alone might not translate into tangible progress.
The Africa CDC secured $10.4 million in emergency funding from the African Union for its mpox response and aims to secure 3 million vaccine doses this year. However, sources involved in planning the vaccination rollout in the DRC reveal that only 65,000 doses are likely to be available in the short term. Vaccination campaigns are unlikely to begin before October at the earliest.
The ongoing mpox outbreak in the DRC is fueled by a new offshoot of the virus that has spread to neighboring countries like Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and Kenya. This strain, distinct from the one that caused global outbreaks in 2022, is particularly prevalent in refugee camps in eastern Congo.
While two vaccines, Bavarian Nordic’s Jynneos and LC16 made by KM Biologics, were used in the 2022 global outbreak, neither is currently available in Congo or across Africa, where the disease has been endemic for decades. Congo’s regulators approved the use of these vaccines in June, but the government has not yet formally requested any from manufacturers or governments like the United States, which are willing to donate through the global vaccine group, Gavi.
The delayed arrival of vaccines poses a serious threat to the DRC, where health infrastructure and humanitarian funds are already stretched thin due to ongoing conflict and other disease outbreaks. Experts emphasize the need for urgent action, including increased funding, vaccine access, and a robust surveillance system to control the mpox outbreak and protect the most vulnerable populations.
