The United States, through USAID, completed the delivery of 50,000 doses of the JYNNEOS mpox vaccine to the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to support its efforts to respond to the ongoing outbreak of clade I mpox.
Speaking on the development,United States Agency for International Development Spokesperson, Benjamin Suarato said the vaccines would go a long way in minimising he impact of Mpox on the continent.
This important milestone is the result of months of U.S.-led efforts with partners on multiple continents which have not only facilitated this delivery but also eased the regulatory and logistical processes to pave the way for other partners to provide vaccine donations,“ said Saurato.
Since the beginning of mpox monitoring in 2022, and as of 31 July 2024, over 100 000 confirmed cases of mpox due to monkeypox virus (MPXV) clade I and clade II, including over 200 deaths among confirmed cases, have been reported by more than 120 countries globally according to the World Health Organization (WHO) (2022-24 Mpox (Monkeypox) Outbreak: Global Trends.
“USAID and other U.S. government agencies are collaborating with the Government of DRC and partners such as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, WHO, Africa CDC, and UNICEF, to deliver vaccines to the communities at greatest risk for mpox. The U.S. government is also continuing to encourage other countries to consider additional support, including vaccines, in order to curb the outbreak in sub-Saharan Africa.”
On August 14, the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak in several countries in Africa a public health emergency of international concern, and DRC has been the most severely impacted country by the outbreak.
Vaccination is a critical component of the response, but it is not the only effort underway to mitigate this outbreak. USAID and other U.S. government agencies have already committed more than $55 million to response efforts and are supporting a comprehensive range of public health interventions aimed at reducing mpox transmission, morbidity, and mortality in DRC and other countries in the region.
Our assistance includes enhancing surveillance, risk communication and community engagement, laboratory and diagnostics, infection prevention and control, clinical services, and coordination.
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