The first shipment of mpox vaccines arrived in Congo's capital on Thursday, three weeks after the World Health Organization declared outbreaks in 12 African countries a global emergency.
The European Union, through its health emergency agency HERA, donated 100,000 doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine, produced by Denmark's Bavarian Nordic.
Another 100,000 doses are expected to arrive on Saturday, according to Congolese authorities.
UNICEF will oversee the vaccination campaign in the hardest-hit provinces, Congo's Health Minister Roger Kamba announced. However, the start date for the vaccination effort remains unclear.
About 380,000 doses of mpox vaccines have been promised by Western partners, including the European Union and the U.S., Dr. Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters last week.
That is less than 15% of the 3 million doses authorities have said are needed to end the mpox outbreaks in Congo, the epicenter of the global health emergency.
The organization said that since the start of 2024, Congo has reported more than 4,900 confirmed mpox cases, with over 629 associated deaths, marking a sharp escalation in both infections and fatalities compared to previous years. Most mpox infections in Congo are in children under age 15.
"These vaccines are vital in safeguarding our health workers and vulnerable populations and in curbing the spread of mpox,” Kaseya said on Thursday.
Following the global mpox outbreak in 2022, wealthy countries quickly responded with vaccines and treatments from their stockpiles. However, only a few doses have reached Africa despite pleas from its governments.
The MVA-BN vaccine has already been used in Europe and the United States, the EU said, and it is authorized for use in adults. The European Medicines Agency is examining additional data to potentially authorize its use for children aged 12 to 17, which could happen by the end of the month.
A total of 215,000 doses were pledged and purchased for an undisclosed amount specifically to be donated to Congo, said Laurent Muschel, the Director-General of HERA.
Mercy Muthee Laker, Congo representative for the Red Cross and Red Crescent aid organization, praised the Congolese government for procuring some vaccines but noted that the doses promised "were quite few compared to the need that we see on the ground.”
Other experts said it would likely be weeks before any vaccines are administered, given the financial resources and logistical planning required to distribute them in a vast country with limited health infrastructure.
The U.S. said last week it donated 10,000 doses of mpox vaccines to Nigeria, where the disease has been common. It is the first known donation to Africa since the current outbreaks. Nigeria has recorded 40 cases of the virus this year, according to Nigeria’s CDC.
Mpox, also known as monkeypox, had been spreading mostly undetected for years in Africa before the disease prompted the 2022 outbreak in more than 70 countries, Dr. Dimie Ogoina, chair of WHO’s mpox emergency committee, told reporters last month.
"What we are witnessing in Africa now is different from the global outbreak in 2022,” he said. While that outbreak was overwhelmingly focused on gay and bisexual men, mpox in Africa is now being spread through sexual transmission as well as close contact among children, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups.
And while most people over 50 were likely vaccinated against smallpox – which may provide some protection against mpox – that is not the case for Africa’s mostly young population, who Ogoina said are mostly susceptible.
The Africa CDC said it is working on a unified response plan for the outbreaks, which will be presented to African heads of state for consideration at a meeting in September.
