A test tube labelled "Mpox virus positive" is held in this illustration taken August 20, 2024. /Reuters
African countries hardest hit by mpox given top priority for vaccine allocation
An initial 899,000 vaccine doses have been allocated for 9 countries across Africa that have been hit hard by the current mpox surge, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.
According to global health agency, the newly allocated vaccines will go to the Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.
The largest number of doses – 85 percent of the allocated vaccines – will go to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the most affected country, the WHO said.
The WHO in August declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years.
More than 46,000 confirmed and suspected cases of mpox in Africa this year, and more than 1,000 deaths in the continent due to the viral illness, according to the latest WHO figures.
