WEDNESDAY, Aug. 21, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- The first mpox vaccine doses from the United States are set to arrive next week in the Congo, the epicenter of an ongoing mpox outbreak in Africa. The doses come not a moment too soon: Just last week, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global health emergency .
As officials struggle to contain a strain of the virus that appears to be more contagious and more severe, vaccines are in short supply. So far, the Congo has reported the vast majority of mpox cases and needs 3 million vaccine doses to make a dent in the spread of the virus. Both the United States and Japan have offered to donate vaccines, Congo Health Minister Roger Kamba told journalists on Monday, the Associated Press reported.
However, he didn't say exactly how many doses would be sent or exactly when the ones from Japan would arrive. The vaccines are sorely needed: According to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , the new outbreak has led to more than 17,500 confirmed and presumed mpox cases and 524 deaths in 13 countries, some of which have never been affected by the disease before. Most cases have occurred in the Congo, and women and children under the age of 15 appear to be most at risk.
The newly spotted strain did surface outside of Africa for the first time last week, when Sweden reported a case of mpox in a person who had traveled to the Congo. Meanwhile, the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a alert ear.