How does Africa prevent monkeypox?

Reply sheet DWDr. Thierry Turano, chief physician of the Nyiragongo region in Goma, one of the most serious monkeypox outbreaks in eastern Congo, said stopping the disease from spreading is difficult. The reason is that the area has armed conflicts, many refugee camps are overcrowded and lacking food.

“This area has more than 400,000 displaced people, some of whom cannot participate in vaccination,” Turano said, adding that government intervention is needed to prevent the spread of monkeypox.

Still following AFPthe eastern Republic of Congo also has bumpy roads and underdeveloped transportation infrastructure. Therefore, the implementation of vaccination here may not be favorable, while the vaccination campaign is only a few days away.

Officials in the Republic of Congo said they are still controlling the epidemic. The government has cold storage to preserve vaccines at minus 20 degrees Celsius and transport vaccines.

And Rwada launched a vaccination campaign from September 19, with 1,000 doses of vaccine. The campaign focuses on seven districts bordering the Republic of Congo. Those vaccinated in the first phase are at high risk of infection, including truck drivers.

However, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assesses that vaccination efforts in many countries are limited due to vaccine shortages. To date, the number of donated shots is only about 4.3 million doses, reaching about a quarter of the number needed to stop the epidemic.

While waiting for the vaccine to be supplied, Africa CDC calls for increased monkeypox surveillance, contact tracing and urgent testing to combat the epidemic.

As of the end of September, Africa recorded more than 32,000 suspected cases, of which more than 28,000 cases were in central Africa. The Republic of Congo is the epicenter of the epidemic with more than 840 deaths since the beginning of 2024. Many countries report suspected cases instead of infected cases due to lack of diagnostic testing facilities and inability to update epidemic data.

In the context of infections continuing to increase and anti-epidemic measures remaining limited, many countries have pledged to join hands to support the fight against monkeypox. Danish biotechnology company Bavarian Nordic on September 26 signed an agreement with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to provide one million doses of Jynneos to prevent monkeypox. The vaccine will be delivered before the end of 2024.

Many other countries have committed to sponsoring vaccines for Africa, such as Germany sponsoring 100,000 doses and providing financial support to fight the epidemic for the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Gavi Vaccine Alliance; The US donated one million doses and 500 million USD; Japan pledged three million shots.

Monkeypox is a viral disease that is spread through close contact. Symptoms of the disease are similar to the flu with pimples filled with pus. Most patients have mild illness, but can become severe and die.

WHO recognized the outbreak in Africa as a public health emergency in August. Currently, Africa is the only region with a monkeypox epidemic but cannot access the vaccine due to limited supplies and shortages. financial ability.