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STORY: WHO / DRC MPOX VACCINATION
TRT: 03:17
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT WHO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGES: FRENCH / NATS
DATELINE: 05 OCTOBER 2024, NORTH KIVU, GOMA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (DRC)
1. Various shots, vaccination supplies arriving, boxes being unloaded from truck at vaccination point, Provincial Hospital
2. SOUNDBITE (French) Dr Mohamadou Bachir Mbodj, Incident Manager for the DRC, World Health Organization (WHO):
“Today, we are launching a targeted vaccination campaign against mpox. We are currently at the North Kivu General Reference Hospital, based in Goma. Why? Because we want to start by vaccinating the health workers who are on the front lines. The country has already received more than 265,000 doses of vaccines, and North Kivu has received more than 20,000. And this vaccination campaign must begin by protecting those who are supposed to treat patients in this region.’
3. Various shots, vaccination point, vaccinators seated. vaccination campaign materials, WHO staff and health partners
4. SOUNDBITE (French) Dr Mohamadou Bachir Mbodj, Incident Manager for the DRC, World Health Organization (WHO):
“The vaccination campaign is beginning in North Kivu. Among those at risk, we know that there are frontline service providers, as they say. And vaccinating them protects them against the disease. It is not only in North Kivu that we are going to do it. We are going to do it in almost the entire country, but by focusing on the hotspots where we have the most cases. Tomorrow, we will start vaccinating in South Kivu and in the coming days, we will continue to other provinces.”
5. Various shots, mpox vaccines being removed, storage containers, vaccine in syringe, health worker being vaccinated, vaccinator talking to man seated
6. SOUNDBITE (French) Dr Francine Musimwa, Immunization Expert, World Health Organization (WHO):
“WHO has undertaken several efforts to facilitate this vaccination campaign. Among other things, WHO has provided different supplies, including supplies that will allow us to care for those who may present with adverse reactions after vaccination. WHO has also provided infection prevention and control (IPC) supplies to protect against infections, such as gloves, masks and other things. WHO has made this available at the provincial level.”
7. Med shot, health worker receiving vaccination card, applause
The Democratic Republic of the Congo today (5 Oct) kicked off mpox vaccination, adding a vital measure to complement the ongoing outbreak control efforts to halt the spread of the viral disease and save lives.
The vaccination, launched in the eastern North Kivu province, will prioritize health workers and frontline responders, contacts of confirmed cases, contacts of those contacts, and other at-risk groups.
The vaccination will subsequently be rolled out in 11 of the most affected health zones in Equateur, North Kivu, Sankuru, South Kivu, Sud-Ubangi and Tshopo provinces.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has received 265 000 doses of the MVA-BN vaccine donated by the European Commission's Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the United States Government.
WHO recommends that vaccination be implemented as part of a comprehensive response that includes enhanced surveillance, community engagement, contact tracing, public health and social measures, and appropriate case management.
WHO and partners are working closely with the national authorities to scale up and reinforce all the key control measures to save lives and end the outbreak.
To further strengthen the ongoing outbreak response, more than 300 WHO experts supporting polio eradication efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been integrated in the mpox response.
The experts have extensive field experience in public health, particularly in community-based and health-facility active surveillance, case investigations, contact tracing and risk communication, and have been at the forefront in the fight against polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
In preparations for the mpox vaccination, WHO has supported the national health authorities in a range of areas, including training of health workers; enhancing vaccine delivery systems and infrastructure such as vaccine storage and transportation; community engagement; as well as ensuring supervision and evaluation of the process for quality vaccine delivery.
Efforts are also ongoing to reinforce measures to identify and address vaccine mis- and disinformation and engage with community and religious leaders to increase access to accurate information.
Mpox vaccines are currently in short supply, especially in Africa.
In September 2024, WHO added the MVA-BN as the first mpox vaccine to its prequalification list, a step that is expected to facilitate timely and increased access to this vital product in communities with urgent need, to reduce transmission and help contain the outbreak.
WHO is working with partners, including Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and UNICEF, to establish a distribution mechanism for doses being donated by other countries as well as from direct procurements from the vaccine manufacturer.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has reported more than 30 000 suspected and laboratory-confirmed cases, and 990 deaths since the start of 2024 – accounting for 90 percent of the cases reported from 15 countries in the African region so far this year.
