Vaccines to combat Mpox outbreak may delay for months

Vaccines to combat the growing mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighboring countries may not arrive anytime soon, even as the World Health Organization (WHO) considers declaring the situation a global emergency. This follows the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) declaration of a public health emergency on Tuesday, August 13.

The day after the Africa CDC’s announcement, a WHO panel convened to evaluate the global threat posed by the outbreak. Despite hopes that these actions would accelerate global response efforts, significant challenges persist, including limited vaccine availability, funding shortfalls, and competing health crises.

Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum, head of Congo’s National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB), emphasized the urgent need for an emergency declaration due to the rapid spread of mpox. He expressed hope that such a declaration would lead to increased funding and improved vaccine access in Congo. However, he acknowledged the difficulties faced by a country already burdened by conflict and other diseases.

The Africa CDC recently secured $10.4 million in emergency funding from the African Union and plans to acquire 3 million vaccine doses this year, though specific details remain scarce. In Congo, only 65,000 doses are expected to arrive soon, with vaccination campaigns unlikely to begin before October.

So far this year, Africa has reported over 15,000 suspected mpox cases and 461 deaths, predominantly among children in Congo, according to the Africa CDC. Although the virus is typically mild, it can be deadly, causing flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions.

A new variant of the virus has sparked outbreaks in refugee camps in eastern Congo, spreading to Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and Kenya for the first time. Ivory Coast and South Africa are also experiencing outbreaks linked to a different strain that spread globally in 2022.

During the 2022 global outbreak, two vaccines—Bavarian Nordic’s Jynneos and LC16 by KM Biologics—were used. However, neither has been available in Congo or Africa, where mpox has been endemic for decades. Only LC16 is approved for use in children.

Congo’s regulators approved these vaccines in June, but the government has yet to request them from manufacturers or international donors like the United States through Gavi.