The Imvanex vaccine is one of two available vaccines that are used to protect against the mpox virus. Vaccines were widely used during the 2022 mpox outbreak. But currently no vaccines are available in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has reported thousands of cases so far this year.
"We've been doing a lot of groundwork and building support and trying to strengthen things. And now, I hope, we're at a pivot point," saysof the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."Over the next three weeks, we expect to learn a lot about what's happening on the ground."The CDC has worked with the DRC for 15 years but has increased their efforts in response to the current mpox outbreak, as has the World Health Organization.
Earlier this month, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention – the public health agency of the African Union – helped convene a high-level emergency meeting on mpox in Kinshasa, DRC. The meeting brought together hundreds of experts.By the end of the meeting, the DRC had announced its intent to use vaccines against mpox – although it still needs to approve the vaccines and draw up a strategy for delivery. In addition, the DRC said it would work quickly to approve a treatment option.
There are also major logistical challenges to rolling out an mpox vaccination effort, given that most of the cases are in remote areas and parts of the country face violent unrest. Now that the DRC has declared its intent to use two types of mpox vaccines, its National Regulatory Authority is meeting for a vaccine assessment. While mpox vaccines are likely months away, these steps are being heralded as progress – as is the country's acknowledgement of the scale of the concern.
"I would say: Declare! Because, by declaring, you have access to the drugs, you have access to the vaccines. We don't need to go through all the approval processes. And that will open the door for international support to mobilize resources," he says.
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