The inaugural vaccination campaign against mpox in Africa began on Tuesday in Rwanda, where 300 individuals have been immunized, as announced by a spokesperson from the African Union’s health agency (Africa CDC) on Thursday.
“The vaccination effort commenced in Rwanda on September 17th, and approximately 300 high-risk individuals have received the vaccine,” stated Addis Asheber, a representative of the Africa CDC.
These initial vaccinations targeted seven districts that border the Democratic Republic of Congo, as detailed by Ngashi Ngongo, chief of staff and head of the agency’s executive office, during a press conference.
In the DRC, which is currently the epicenter of the outbreak, vaccinations are scheduled to begin “in the first week of October,” noted Jean Kaseya, the director of the Africa CDC, during the same briefing.
“The mpox outbreak is not under control,” he cautioned.
The agency reported 374 new confirmed cases and 14 deaths across the continent within one week, bringing the total to 6,105 confirmed cases and 738 fatalities.
Currently, the outbreak affects 15 countries throughout Africa.
The resurgence of mpox on the continent, along with the emergence of a new variant (clade 1b), prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to elevate its global alert level to the highest degree in mid-August.
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a viral disease that transmits from animals to humans but can also spread between people, causing symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, and skin lesions.
