Congo to Receive Japan's Mpox Vaccine for Children...

Congo to Receive Japan's Mpox Vaccine for Children Next Week

Zim Now Writer

The Democratic Republic of Congo is set to receive three million doses of mpox vaccine from Japan next week, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). The vaccine will enable the country to immunize children, a group particularly vulnerable to the infection.

Vaccination efforts in the DRC, the epicenter of the mpox outbreak, have been ongoing. However, no vaccines have been available for children until now. The new doses, donated from Japan's national stockpile of LC16m8 vaccines, are expected to address this gap. The LC16m8 vaccine, originally developed by Japanese firm KM Biologics for smallpox, has been proven effective against mpox.

Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC, confirmed the news on Thursday, saying, "The good news we got from Japan is that, next week, we are getting the Japanese vaccine in DRC that will allow the vaccination of children."

The donation, initially pledged in September, faced delays due to legal hurdles but is now ready for distribution. These vaccines will specifically target children under the age of five, who are among the most affected. According to Africa CDC data, over 44% of the 10,533 confirmed mpox cases in the DRC involve children under 15 years old.

The vaccine will be administered using a bifurcated needle, a method requiring 15 pricks to the skin. To ensure effective deployment, Japanese experts will train Congolese health workers in this technique over the weekend, said Dieudonne Mwamba, head of the Congo's National Institute for Public Health.

The arrival of these doses offers hope for curbing the outbreak, which the World Health Organization has classified as a global public health emergency.

Africa CDC has also opened discussions with Japan about additional vaccine donations for other countries on the continent. "We are negotiating with them, and we'll see what the outcome will be, but they were open to that," Kaseya stated.