By Amber Roman
Jun 27, 2024, 3:58 PM EDT
The authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have authorized the use of two MPOX vaccines in an attempt to control the rise in cases and the spread of a dangerous new strain in the country. Since the beginning of last year, Congo has recorded 20,000 cases of mpox and more than 1,000 deaths, mainly affecting children.
The disease, a viral infection spread through close contact, causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. Although most cases are mild, the illness can be fatal. This week, the World Health Organization (WHO) and scientists have warned about a new, more deadly strain that is spreading in the province of South Kivu.
Congo’s regulator has issued an emergency use authorization for Bavarian Nordic’s shot, Jynneos, and for LC16, made by KM Biologics, according to documents and sources involved in the process.
Despite being one of the poorest countries in the world, Congo had never had access to vaccines or treatments to combat mpox outside of clinical trials, although the first human case was recorded in 1970.
In 2022, during an outbreak of a less severe strain of mpox that spread around the world, Both tools were widely available in European countries and the United States. However, in the recent outbreak in the Congo, national and international regulatory barriers, lack of funding, other disease outbreaks and stigma have slowed the response.
Covid era protocols to stop mpox outbreak
Gavi Vaccine Alliance CEO Sania Nishtar said last week that her organization was prepared to use COVID-19 era protocols to facilitate vaccine donations from the United States and Japan once they were approved.
A Bavarian Nordic spokesperson confirmed the approval in Congo on Wednesday. KM Biologics reported by email that there was a potential vaccine supply to Congo, but had no further information to share.
Although Congolese authorities have approved the vaccines, Gavi, which finances the purchase of vaccines for low-income countries, cannot acquire them without WHO “prequalification,” a form of approval. In the absence of this approval, Gavi relies on donated vaccines.
A WHO spokesperson said the agency is working with vaccine makers on an approval process and urged countries to proceed with their own approvals and provide more data to move the process forward.
Other challenges in addressing the outbreak in Congo iThey include the stigma associated with the disease, which is spread through close contact, including sexual contact. Funding is also a problem, according to Cris Kacita, who heads mpox’s national operations in the Congo. Kacita said: $84 million is needed to respond in the highest-risk provinces, but only $8 million has been raised so far.
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