The Democratic Republic of Congo has kicked off its first vaccination campaign against mpox in the city of Goma, focusing on health workers and those with existing health issues. The rollout comes as the country grapples with a significant outbreak, with over 30,000 suspected and confirmed cases reported since the beginning of 2024. The Ministry of Public Health has acknowledged challenges due to limited resources, with only 265,000 doses of the vaccine currently available. However, more doses are expected to arrive from France, Japan, and the United States, with President Joe Biden pledging one million doses to African nations. The World Health Organization’s Africa Director, Matshidiso Moeti, has emphasized the importance of the vaccine rollout in containing the virus and ensuring community safety. The virus is transmitted through close contact with infected individuals or animals and typically causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. A new, more infectious variant of mpox, clade Ib, has been identified, prompting the WHO to declare a public health emergency. The organization has recently approved a PCR test to detect the virus through skin lesion swabs, with the WHO pledging 4,500 tests to the DRC. The vaccination campaign marks a crucial step in combating the outbreak and limiting the spread of the virus across the continent.
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