The Mpox vaccination campaign in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) began on October 4, with Africa CDC Director General Dr Jean Kaseya emphasising the importance of two doses. While a single dose provides over 50% protection, Dr Kaseya stated: "We don't want to compromise the health of our people."
The vaccination campaign was launched in Goma, the eastern city hardest hit by the outbreak. Meanwhile, Mpox cases continue to rise, with Ghana becoming the 16th country to report a case in the current outbreak. Across the affected countries, significant gaps remain in surveillance and testing, with testing and case positivity rates at 47% and 43%, respectively.
"Some countries report suspected cases, but without testing, we can't confirm them or classify outbreaks," said Dr Kaseya. Contract tracing is another challenge: "We aim to trace 90% of contacts but have only reached around 4%, reflecting the performance of our surveillance systems."
Speaking during his weekly media briefing on Mpox, Dr Kaseya also revealed that the fight against Mpox has surpassed and almost doubled its $600m funding goal envisaged in the continental response plan. He stressed the importance of targeted interventions for specific vulnerable groups to curb the spread of Mpox effectively.
As the most affected country, the DRC was prioritising confirmed cases and at-risk groups, including healthcare workers, sex workers, children in high-risk areas, displaced populations, prisoners, truck drivers, and people with HIV. Truck drivers are considered high-risk due to their frequent cross-border movement. This underscores the urgent need for enhanced border surveillance, particularly along the Northern Corridor, which spans Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Eastern DRC, Tanzania and Zambia.
Dr Kaseya stressed that insufficient testing should not prevent action. "We cannot rely solely on confirmed cases for decision-making and response," he remarked. Factors affecting testing, such as sample collection, laboratory capacity, and equipment quality, remain challenging, but Africa CDC is working to improve the situation.
The disproportionate impact of Mpox on children under 15 in the DRC, worsened by high malnutrition rates, was also highlighted. Dr Kaseya noted that the virus's mutations complicate the situation, creating what he described as "many outbreaks in one". He emphasised the urgency of controlling the outbreak to prevent further mutations. Additionally, he noted early indications of mother-to-child transmission but acknowledged that more research is needed. Just research is an integral aspect of the response to Mpox whose epidemiology is poorly understood.
