Africa faces significant delays in receiving the mpox vaccine despite the virus’s mutation and rapid spread across the continent.
Rank inequality in global distribution is exposing Africa to severe risks, with richer nations already inoculating their populations against mpox. Experts cite inequality, competing health issues, and slow regulation as primary factors placing millions of Africans in jeopardy.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, has been a persistent public health issue in Africa since 1970 but gained international attention only after a 2022 outbreak. The virus is now mutating faster, spreading from person to person, and crossing borders.
Duduzile Ndwandwe, a scientist at the South African Medical Research Council, stated that supply challenges, funding issues, and infrastructure deficits slow down vaccine distribution. This is compounded by the disease being less prevalent compared to other health priorities like measles and malaria.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), scientists identified a new and more virulent mpox mutation in January, which raised public health concerns. Despite tens of thousands of suspected cases and over a thousand deaths this year, vaccinations only began arriving after much delay.
Two mpox vaccines used globally—developed by Denmark’s Bavarian Nordic and Japan’s KM Biologics—are not yet widely available in Africa. The DRC, receiving only 10,000 doses from the U.S. recently, is struggling to distribute these due to financial and logistical constraints.
Jimmy Whitworth, a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, highlighted the new variant, clade 1b pox, as fairly lethal and primarily spreading through sexual contact.
Since January 2023, over 27,000 suspected mpox cases and 1,100 deaths have been reported in the DRC, mainly among children. The WHO has designated the outbreak a public health emergency, yet African nations are struggling to respond effectively.
The financial burden of vaccination is considerable. Whitworth noted that the $100 cost per dose is prohibitive for governments grappling with multiple health threats on limited budgets. Local regulators only approved a vaccine for the DRC in June, with no set distribution date.
In 2022, public health campaigns and two vaccines successfully halted a global mpox outbreak. However, African nations remain underserved. Efforts are now intensifying, with the Africa CDC receiving emergency funding and the WHO encouraging partner agencies to expedite vaccine deliveries.
The DRC expected vaccine deliveries in late August from the U.S. and Japan, but delays persist. European Union countries have also pledged support, and experts argue that regional regulators must approve vaccines urgently to preempt a wider outbreak.
Congo’s pre-existing healthcare system issues exacerbate the mpox crisis. Katharina Schroeder from Save the Children emphasized the need for long-term investments in healthcare infrastructure, noting that rural health centers often lack basic supplies like gloves and masks.
Short-term solutions are insufficient. Even when mpox is diagnosed, many patients cannot afford the four-week isolation period due to daily survival needs. Schroeder pointed out that without substantial social welfare improvements, future outbreaks are inevitable.
The inequalities and logistical challenges in distributing the mpox vaccine highlight a critical need for long-term investment in Africa’s healthcare systems to prevent future crises.
Source: Rappler