DRC reports more than 5,000 confirmed mpox cases this year, Receives 100K vaccines
Mpox cases and deaths
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the epicenter of the mpox, or monkeypox outbreak, has now recorded more than 5,000 confirmed cases since the beginning of the year, according to the Africa CDC.
The latest data out of Africa is as follows: a total of 24,873 cases, of which 5,549 have been confirmed, 8,358 tested negative and 643 deaths [case fatality rate (CFR): 2.57%] of mpox have been reported from 14 African Union (AU) Member States (MS): Burundi (328 lab-confirmed cases; 0 death), Cameroon (5; 3), Central Africa Republic (CAR) (48; 1 ), Congo (21; 0), Cote d'Ivoire (43; 1 ), Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (5,002; 635), Gabon (2; 0), Guinea (1; 0), Liberia (8; 0), Kenya (5; 0), Nigeria (48; 0), Rwanda (4; 0), South Africa (24; 3), and Uganda (10; 0). Of the 24,827 cases detected, 13,907 were tested (testing rate of 56%). Children <15 years accounted for 41% and males accounted for 63% of all confirmed cases reported on the continent.
The DRC has recorded more than 19,000 total cases, including the 635 deaths, since the beginning of 2024, according to the latest figures compiled by the Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene and Prevention. Four out of five deaths have been in children.
Vaccines
This week, the DRC MoH received 99,100 doses of the JYNNEOS mpox vaccine. The introduction of the JYNNEOS vaccine is a decisive action to mitigate further spread and protect the most at-risk populations.
This is the first delivery out of an expected 215,000 doses from the European Union (EU). This EU initiative is part of a comprehensive set of actions put in place under its "Global Gateway" strategy, implemented to support global health partners from the rest of the world in the fight against this epidemic which is ravaging several African countries.
According to a press release, the European Commission reassures that 500,000 additional vaccines, from other EU member countries, will be delivered to the most affected African countries.
“Through Team Europe, an additional 351,500 doses from France, Germany, Spain, Malta, Portugal, Luxembourg, Croatia, Austria, Poland and possibly other Member States will be donated to Africa CDC for distribution to affected countries. This brings the total number of vaccine doses donated by Team Europe to at least 566,500, including the aforementioned 215,000 doses donated by HERA in cooperation with the pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic ,” the statement added.
On August 14, the World Health Organization (WHO) established that the resurgence of Mpox in the DRC and in a growing number of African countries, including Gabon, Burundi, Central African Republic and Côte d'Ivoire, constituted a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).