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These 250,000 doses represent only a fraction of the three million doses which, according to the authorities, are needed to put an end to the smallpox, epidemics in Congo, the epicenter of the global health emergency
Congolese authorities said that 50,000 doses of smallpox vaccine from the United States arrived on Tuesday. Earlier, a week ago, the first batch arrived from the European Union.
Adults in Equateur, South Kivu, and Sankuru, the three provinces most affected, will be vaccinated first, starting on October 2. Last week, the first batch of smallpox vaccine arrived in the capital of Congo, the center of the epidemic.
The 100,000 doses of JYNNEOS vaccine, manufactured by the Danish company Bavarian Nordic, were donated by the European Union through HERA, the Union’s agency for health emergencies. A further 100,000 doses were delivered over the weekend. The 50,000 doses from the USA will be of the same JYNNEOS vaccine.
These 250,000 doses represent only a fraction of the three million doses which, according to the authorities, are needed to put an end to the smallpox epidemics in Congo, the epicenter of the global health emergency. EU countries have pledged to donate a further 500,000 doses, but the timetable for their delivery is unclear.
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Since the start of 2024, 5,549 cases of smallpox have been confirmed on the continent, with 643 associated deaths, representing a sharp increase in the number of infections and deaths compared with previous years.
