٠٠:٠٣:٢٧Health Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Roger Kamba announced that a new vaccination campaign would be launched from October 5, prioritising areas in the east 'most impacted' by mpox, while speaking in Kinshasa on Friday.
"Our teams are already on site," Kamba told journalists. "Tomorrow, the vaccination campaign begins; it will be launched from Goma because the vaccines are kept in the fridges at -20 degrees."
"After the launch in Goma, we will immediately bring the vaccines to South Kivu because it is the most affected province, and we will first vaccinate adults," he continued.
Kamba stressed that the campaign will not bring a 'mass vaccination' to the affected areas as the government can only dispatch '265,000 doses'.
"That is why the strategy is to vaccinate the people most at risk, and it is several categories. The first category is direct contact with people who live with the sick. We must protect them. The second category is people who are in contact with the sick for professional reasons, so we must protect our healthcare providers," the minister explained.
"Finally, we will carry out campaigns around the groups for villages that are seriously impacted," he added.
Earlier, Kamba reported that '31,000 cases' of mpox and 'approximately 988 deaths' had been recorded in the DRC since January, with the virus spreading in all provinces of the country.
According to WHO reports, the spread of mpox in the DRC is accelerating, with around 600 new cases every week. The African Centre for Disease Control says Kinshasa has amassed a stockpile of 200,000 vaccine doses while the European Union, Japan, the United States and others have pledged at least 5.4 million.
In August, the WHO announced a public health emergency due to the spread of the Clade Ib type of the disease. The EU's first batch of 100,000 vaccines arrived in the country a month later.
The new variant can kill up to 10 percent of those infected. According to reports, Sweden and Thailand have recorded cases of Clade 1. The less dangerous Clade II, which caused the global outbreak in 2022, has a fatality rate of less than one percent but can still cause serious public health concerns.
According to the WHO, mpox spreads through close physical interactions and contaminated items such as bedding, clothing, or needles. The virus causes flu-like symptoms and skin lesions and can be transmitted both among humans and from animals to humans.
'Our teams are already on site' - DRC health minister unveils mpox vaccination campaign
Health Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Roger Kamba announced that a new vaccination campaign would be launched from October 5, prioritising areas in the east 'most impacted' by mpox, while speaking in Kinshasa on Friday.
"Our teams are already on site," Kamba told journalists. "Tomorrow, the vaccination campaign begins; it will be launched from Goma because the vaccines are kept in the fridges at -20 degrees."
"After the launch in Goma, we will immediately bring the vaccines to South Kivu because it is the most affected province, and we will first vaccinate adults," he continued.
Kamba stressed that the campaign will not bring a 'mass vaccination' to the affected areas as the government can only dispatch '265,000 doses'.
"That is why the strategy is to vaccinate the people most at risk, and it is several categories. The first category is direct contact with people who live with the sick. We must protect them. The second category is people who are in contact with the sick for professional reasons, so we must protect our healthcare providers," the minister explained.
"Finally, we will carry out campaigns around the groups for villages that are seriously impacted," he added.
Earlier, Kamba reported that '31,000 cases' of mpox and 'approximately 988 deaths' had been recorded in the DRC since January, with the virus spreading in all provinces of the country.
According to WHO reports, the spread of mpox in the DRC is accelerating, with around 600 new cases every week. The African Centre for Disease Control says Kinshasa has amassed a stockpile of 200,000 vaccine doses while the European Union, Japan, the United States and others have pledged at least 5.4 million.
In August, the WHO announced a public health emergency due to the spread of the Clade Ib type of the disease. The EU's first batch of 100,000 vaccines arrived in the country a month later.
The new variant can kill up to 10 percent of those infected. According to reports, Sweden and Thailand have recorded cases of Clade 1. The less dangerous Clade II, which caused the global outbreak in 2022, has a fatality rate of less than one percent but can still cause serious public health concerns.
According to the WHO, mpox spreads through close physical interactions and contaminated items such as bedding, clothing, or needles. The virus causes flu-like symptoms and skin lesions and can be transmitted both among humans and from animals to humans.
Health Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Roger Kamba announced that a new vaccination campaign would be launched from October 5, prioritising areas in the east 'most impacted' by mpox, while speaking in Kinshasa on Friday.
"Our teams are already on site," Kamba told journalists. "Tomorrow, the vaccination campaign begins; it will be launched from Goma because the vaccines are kept in the fridges at -20 degrees."
"After the launch in Goma, we will immediately bring the vaccines to South Kivu because it is the most affected province, and we will first vaccinate adults," he continued.
Kamba stressed that the campaign will not bring a 'mass vaccination' to the affected areas as the government can only dispatch '265,000 doses'.
"That is why the strategy is to vaccinate the people most at risk, and it is several categories. The first category is direct contact with people who live with the sick. We must protect them. The second category is people who are in contact with the sick for professional reasons, so we must protect our healthcare providers," the minister explained.
"Finally, we will carry out campaigns around the groups for villages that are seriously impacted," he added.
Earlier, Kamba reported that '31,000 cases' of mpox and 'approximately 988 deaths' had been recorded in the DRC since January, with the virus spreading in all provinces of the country.
According to WHO reports, the spread of mpox in the DRC is accelerating, with around 600 new cases every week. The African Centre for Disease Control says Kinshasa has amassed a stockpile of 200,000 vaccine doses while the European Union, Japan, the United States and others have pledged at least 5.4 million.
In August, the WHO announced a public health emergency due to the spread of the Clade Ib type of the disease. The EU's first batch of 100,000 vaccines arrived in the country a month later.
The new variant can kill up to 10 percent of those infected. According to reports, Sweden and Thailand have recorded cases of Clade 1. The less dangerous Clade II, which caused the global outbreak in 2022, has a fatality rate of less than one percent but can still cause serious public health concerns.
According to the WHO, mpox spreads through close physical interactions and contaminated items such as bedding, clothing, or needles. The virus causes flu-like symptoms and skin lesions and can be transmitted both among humans and from animals to humans.