On Tuesday, the US donated 50,000 doses of mpox vaccine to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to help combat an ongoing outbreak. US Ambassador Lucy Tamlyn emphasized the importance of vaccines in controlling the disease and highlighted the long-standing health partnership between the US and DRC, which includes efforts against malaria, tuberculosis, HIV, and Ebola.
This donation follows a recent shipment of nearly 100,000 doses from the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority. The DRC, the hardest-hit country in the region, is experiencing multiple mpox outbreaks driven by various strains, including a new variant, clade Ib, which is spreading through sexual transmission.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that this new strain has also been detected in other East and Central African countries and among travelers outside Africa. Since early 2024, the DRC has recorded over 4,900 confirmed mpox cases and more than 620 deaths.