Second phase of vaccination against Mpox begins in Congo

By Sandy Verma On Oct 27, 2024

Mumbai Mumbai :�Congo has started the second phase of vaccination against mpox. Congo began the first phase of vaccination in the worst-hit provinces on October 5, mainly targeting health workers. The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday said that since then, 40,574 out of 45,957 people have been vaccinated in the country, giving a coverage of 88.3 per cent. According to health officials, the new phase of vaccination extends to people at high risk of exposure to the virus, including sex workers and people who have come in contact with patients across the country, Xinhua news agency reported.

“Today, we wanted to integrate community engagement into vaccination. As you know, there is sexual transmission for herpes. So we are targeting this category of people to limit spread within the community,” said Aubin Mongili, the man in charge of vaccinations in North Kivu province. According to Congolese Health Minister Roger Kamba, the country needs about three million doses of the vaccine for its 2.5 million people. Since the beginning of 2024, there have been 35,925 suspected cases in Congo, including 7,534 confirmed cases and 1,006 deaths, according to a report published Tuesday by Congo's health ministry.

Mumps, also known as monkeypox, is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus, which is spread by close contact. Its symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, muscle pain, skin rash, and back pain. In mid-August, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared the ongoing Mpox outbreak in Africa a public health emergency of continental concern. Shortly thereafter, WHO also declared mpox as a public health emergency of international concern, activating its highest level of global alert for mpox for the second time in two years.