14,000 vaccinated against Mumps in Democratic Republic of Congo

More than 14,000 people have been vaccinated against mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as part of a campaign launched in early October, according to the country’s health ministry. Since the campaign began, approximately 14,180 individuals have received the vaccine across three provinces, the ministry announced on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter. The campaign started on October 5 in Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province. The DRC aims to vaccinate a total of 2.5 million people using 3.5 million doses, with Health Minister Roger Kamba noting that about 265,000 doses are currently available. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 16 countries in the African region have been affected by mpox, labeling the DRC as the epicenter of the epidemic. Since the start of the year, the DRC has recorded 31,350 suspected cases, including 992 deaths, and 6,169 confirmed cases, with 25 fatalities. The country is facing a high mortality rate due to late diagnoses and limited access to treatment, with only 41 percent of suspected cases tested in 2024. As of October 6, Africa has reported a total of 36,787 suspected cases, including 998 deaths, complicated by several clades of the virus. In mid-August, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared the ongoing mpox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security. Shortly after, the WHO declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern, activating its highest alert level for the second time in two years. Mpox, also known as monkeypox, is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus, which spreads through close contact. Symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, muscle aches, skin rash, and back pain.

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