Mpox, Monkeypox in Congo: “Children under 15 are among the most affected, vaccines are needed immediately”

ROMA – Extremely limited availability of Mpox (monkeypox) vaccines in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has drastically reduced the effectiveness of the national vaccination plan against this virus, humanitarian workers warn. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) whose teams are responding to this new emergency.

An epidemic that continues to spread. “Without vaccines, thousands of people, including children under 15, who are among the hardest hit by the virus (they account for 56% of cases and 79% of Mpox deaths in 2024 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo), could be left unprotected. As the outbreak continues to evolve rapidly, every step must be taken to get vaccines to everyone who needs them now,” said Dr. Justin B. Eyong, an epidemiologist at Doctors Without Borders in RDC.

The balance from June to today. From mid-June to early August, MSF-supported facilities in DRC treated 1,159 patients. Of these, 431 were severe cases, while 728 patients were treated on an outpatient basis. MSF teams also organised 6,376 awareness-raising sessions to prevent the spread of the virus. More than 1,530 infected people are currently being treated at home.

MSF’s intervention priorities. The epidemic is spreading to areas with sometimes very different demographic and geographical realities. The response must be not only multisectoral, but also adapted to each context. While waiting for the arrival of vaccines, as many partners as possible must support other key aspects of the response such as laboratory testing, surveillance, support for isolation and self-isolation, community awareness-raising. And, of course, patient care. Today, all of these aspects have gaps and require enormous resources to function properly. MSF hopes that vaccines will arrive as soon as possible and in large quantities, so as to protect communities in the most affected areas and in particular the most at-risk groups.