Vaccine rollout hopes for Congo as first batch of monkeypox vaccines ready to ship

Emergency distribution closer as the disease's resurgence prompts the WHO to declare its highest international alert level

A Red Cross worker sprays chlorine at a camp for internally displaced people in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. EPA

A first delivery of monkeypox vaccines is expected to arrive in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the coming days, the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced on Friday.

About 230,000 monkeypox vaccine doses are available for immediate dispatch but that could take up to two weeks to arrive, an official said.

The announcement for vaccines being shipped to Dr Congo was made on Friday, as Nairobi confirmed the first case in the Kenyan capital.

The disease's resurgence in the DR Congo of a new strain, called Clade 1b, prompted the WHO to declare its highest international alert level on August 14.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "We hope to have the first delivery in the next few days, and then it will build up."

WHO is reviewing applications for emergency licences for two vaccines made by Denmark's Bavarian Nordic and Japan's KM Biologics.

Cases are surging in the region, with outbreaks reported in Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda, and also further afield in Asia and Europe.

At least 22,863 suspected cases had been reported in Africa as of August 27, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday.

"The number of reported cases of Clade 1b has been rising rapidly for several weeks. Fortunately, relatively few deaths have been reported in recent weeks," Mr Tedros said.

"WHO is working to accelerate access to, and delivery of, vaccines. It's vital to stress that although vaccines are a powerful tool, they are far from the only tool.

"We believe we can stop these outbreaks in the next six months. But what this region of DR Congo needs more than anything else is a political solution to the long-running insecurity."

More than 18,000 suspected cases of monkeypox have been reported in the DR Congo so far this year, with 629 deaths, Mr Tedros added.

The US Food and Drug Administration has also granted expanded approval to Emergent BioSolutions' smallpox vaccine for use in people at high risk of monkeypox infection.

African vaccine manufacturers are gearing up to make monkeypox shots as the outbreak spreads.

The Biovac Institute in South Africa is able to produce the shots but is waiting for discussions with companies including Bavarian Nordic, chief executive Morena Makhoana said.

The Africa CDC, which also declared a public health emergency over the outbreak, is trying to build up the acquisition of vaccines.

While the continent has dealt with monkeypox since the 1970s - making it the only region where the disease is endemic.