Congolese health officials kicked off their first mpox vaccination campaign on Saturday, a crucial step in combating the outbreak that has spread across Africa this year.
The vaccination ceremony took place at a hospital in Goma, where healthcare workers were the first to receive the vaccine doses.
Despite limited resources, the Health Ministry announced that the campaign would proceed, albeit on a smaller scale.
With only 265,000 vaccine doses currently available, the campaign aims to address the significant inequity in vaccine access between African countries and Europe and the United States during the 2022 global mpox outbreak.
The World Health Organization’s Africa director, Matshidiso Moeti, praised the vaccine rollout as a vital step in limiting the virus’s spread and ensuring the safety of communities.
Mpox, a disease transmitted through close contact, typically presents flu-like symptoms and skin lesions.
While usually mild, it can be fatal in rare cases.
In August, the WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern following the identification of a new variant.
Congo has reported a significant number of cases, accounting for 90% of Africa’s total cases this year, according to the WHO.