The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is preparing to receive its first shipment of mpox vaccines, as the country faces a growing outbreak that has prompted global health authorities to take swift action.

The arrival of nearly 100,000 doses, manufactured by Bavarian Nordic and donated by the European Union, is expected to land in Kinshasa on Thursday, marking a critical moment in the fight against the virus.

This Central African nation of approximately 100 million people has become the epicenter of the mpox outbreak, which the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global public health emergency just last month.

With over 17,500 cases and 629 reported deaths in the country alone since the start of the year, the urgency for a response has intensified.

More Vaccines Expected in Days

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, confirmed the vaccine shipment, while Cris Kacita, head of the DRC’s mpox outbreak response, revealed that a second delivery would follow shortly after.

“We’ll receive the first batch on Sept 5 and a second one on Sept 7,” Kacita stated, though no additional details were provided about the total number of doses expected.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) indicated that over 99,000 doses are scheduled to arrive, with further shipments planned before the week’s end.

The vaccines, which must be stored at an extremely low temperature of -90 degrees Celsius (-130 degrees Fahrenheit), present logistical hurdles for local health authorities, complicating the timeline for vaccine distribution.

Vaccination Set to Begin October 8

Although the vaccine deliveries represent a significant step forward, the actual distribution won’t be immediate. Kacita explained that health authorities aim to begin the first wave of vaccinations on October 8, about a month after receiving the doses.

The delay is partly due to the complexity of maintaining the necessary cold chain for the vaccines.

In the initial phase, the WHO’s acting director of epidemic and pandemic prevention, Maria Van Kerkhove, noted that those receiving the vaccine will primarily be individuals who have come into contact with confirmed cases.

This targeted approach mirrors strategies used in previous outbreaks of viral diseases, aiming to curtail further spread before it escalates.

Growing Concerns Across Africa and Beyond

Mpox cases have now been detected in at least 13 African countries, and the virus is spreading to new regions. On Wednesday, Guinea confirmed its first case of mpox, adding to the list of affected nations.

Beyond Africa, cases have also been identified in countries such as Pakistan, the Philippines, Sweden, and Thailand, signaling the virus’s global reach.

Other nations have pledged to support Africa with additional vaccine shipments as part of a broader international effort to control the virus.

However, the situation in the DRC remains particularly alarming due to the already-strained healthcare system and the challenges of navigating a pandemic on this scale.

“We are in a health war against mpox. To face this disease, we need you,” Congolese Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba declared in a recent post on X, calling for public cooperation and vigilance in the face of the outbreak.

First discovered in 1958 in research monkeys in Denmark, mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) made its first human appearance in 1970. The virus, transmitted primarily through close physical contact, causes fever, muscle aches, and painful skin lesions filled with pus.

Mpox is typically spread from animals to humans, but human-to-human transmission has become a growing concern. With two strains of the virus – clade 1a and clade 1b – now circulating in the DRC, the country’s healthcare infrastructure is under pressure as authorities work to prevent the outbreak from spiraling further.

As such, the response in the coming weeks will determine whether the vaccines can halt the virus’s spread before more lives are lost.