Kinshasa- October 2024- The Democratic Republic of the Congo kicked off mpox vaccination, adding a vital measure to complement the ongoing outbreak control efforts to halt the spread of the viral disease and save lives.

The vaccination, launched in the eastern North Kivu province, will prioritize health workers and frontline responders, contacts of confirmed cases, contacts of those contacts, and other at-risk groups. Authorities are rolling out the vaccination in 11 of the most affected health zones across Equateur, North Kivu, Sankuru, South Kivu, Sud-Ubangi, and Tshopo provinces.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has received 265 000 doses of the MVA-BN vaccine donated by the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the United States Government.

“As we rally efforts to stop the mpox outbreak, the rollout of the vaccine marks an important step in limiting the spread of the virus and ensuring the safety of families and communities,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “Vaccines are an important additional tool in outbreak control and we’re grateful to our partners who have donated the doses. We’re working closely with the national authorities to effectively deliver the vaccines to those who need them most.”

WHO urges implementing vaccination as part of a comprehensive response, which includes enhancing surveillance, engaging communities, tracing contacts, enforcing public health and social measures, and managing cases appropriately. WHO and partners are working closely with the national authorities to scale up and reinforce all the key control measures to save lives and end the outbreak.

Also Read: WHO Urges Quick Access to Mpox Tests

To further strengthen the ongoing outbreak response, authorities have integrated over 300 WHO experts, who support polio eradication efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, into the mpox response. The experts have extensive field experience in public health, particularly in community-based and health-facility active surveillance, case investigations, contact tracing and risk communication, and have been at the forefront in the fight against polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases.

In preparations for the mpox vaccination, WHO has supported the national health authorities in a range of areas, including training of health workers; enhancing vaccine delivery systems and infrastructure such as vaccine storage and transportation; community engagement; as well as ensuring supervision and evaluation of the process for quality vaccine delivery. Efforts are also ongoing to reinforce measures to identify and address vaccine mis- and disinformation and engage with community and religious leaders to increase access to accurate information.

Mpox vaccines are currently in short supply, especially in Africa. In September 2024, WHO added the MVA-BN as the first mpox vaccine to its prequalification list, a step that is expected to facilitate timely and increased access to this vital product in communities with urgent need, to reduce transmission and help contain the outbreak.