The Mpox outbreak continues to ravage eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with patients at a Kamituga clinic anxiously awaiting vaccines. The country is set to receive its first shipment of Mpox vaccine doses on Thursday, followed by another on Saturday, according to officials.
The situation is dire, with harrowing images of patients suffering from painful lesions. Richard Songa, a patient at Alima hospital, described his critical condition upon arrival and his hope for recovery with the new vaccines. “This disease is very dangerous and risks killing people,” he said, emphasizing the importance of vaccination.
Dr. Fiston Nepa from Alima clinic noted that most patients are adults due to the more transmissible clade 1b, which spreads primarily through sexual contact.
The first batch of vaccines is expected to arrive in Kinshasa, but the eastern Congo hotspot is still waiting. The World Health Organization declared a global emergency on August 14, with over 18,000 suspected cases and 629 deaths reported in Congo.
Mpox, related to Smallpox, often presents with milder symptoms but can cause severe sores and blisters. The virus spreads through close skin-to-skin contact.
The WHO plans to distribute around 230,000 vaccines soon and is launching educational campaigns to curb the outbreak.