The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will launch its first phase of the Mpox vaccination campaign on October 2. According to the media, the vaccination effort runs until October 11, following the receipt of over 2.65 lakh doses from international partners. The process of procuring 3,000 doses of vaccines for children is sufficiently advancing. This comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) recently announced the approval of the MVA-BN vaccine as the first Mpox vaccine to its prequalification list.

The vaccine is indicated for active immunisation against smallpox, Mpox, and related orthopoxvirus infections and disease in all adults 18 years of age and older. As per the Congolese Ministry of Health’s report. Congo has reported 21,813 suspected cases of Mpox. This includes 716 deaths since the start of 2024. The country accounts for about 90 per cent of Mpox cases in Africa.