A vaccination campaign against mpox in Congo will begin on October 2, authorities announced on Saturday.
The campaign will initially focus on the three provinces most affected by the outbreak: Equateur, South Kivu, and Sankuru.
The first batch of 100,000 doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine was donated by the European Union.
However, this is only a fraction of the 3 million doses needed to end the mpox outbreaks in Congo.
Since the beginning of 2024, there have been over 5,500 confirmed mpox cases in Africa, with 91% of them in Congo.
Most infections are in children under 15.
The Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have launched a continent-wide response plan to the outbreak.
The rollout of the vaccine will prioritize adults who have been in close contact with infected people and sex workers.