Mpox Vaccines To Start Arriving In Congo Sunday, Africa CDC Says

(Bloomberg) -- Mpox vaccines are expected to arrive in central Africa from Sept. 1 as a lethal outbreak of the disease that’s become a global health emergency spreads.

While it still depends “on a number of factors,” the shots should arrive in Democratic Republic of Congo next week, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director General Jean Kaseya said Tuesday. About 380,000 mpox vaccines have been secured so far, he said, and plans are underway to ensure these are given to vulnerable people quickly.

The push for vaccines comes as the World Health Organization launched a preparedness and response plan on Monday aimed at coordinating efforts. The agency is seeking an initial $87.4 million that will cover the first six months of the program starting September. The move underpins efforts by the agency and its partners to stop chains of human-to-human mpox transmission. 

The spread of the new strain of mpox from Congo has seen the number of cases on the continent increase to almost 23,000 from about 19,000 last week, with 622 deaths, Kaseya said. He did not clarify how many cases were of the new clade 1b variety.

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Gabon reported its first case last week from a traveler returning home after visiting Uganda, Kaseya said. Still, ambassadors in non-African nations have assured that they don’t plan to implement travel bans on people coming from Africa, he said. 

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