Democratic Republic of Congo begins smallpox vaccination: ‘It’s a lifesaver’ | Planet of the future

“Vaccination is about protecting yourself. I am a health worker, I am on the front line and I am always in contact with patients,” Jeanine Muhawi told the media with a smile, showing her relief at receiving the smallpox vaccine on Saturday. The doctor works in Goma, in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the African country hardest hit by the disease.

The vaccination campaign, which began on Saturday in North Kivu province and on Tuesday in South Kivu in the east of the country, is targeting primarily health care personnel, as well as other sectors considered at risk, such as butchers, hunters, veterinarians and sex workers. businesses because they are potentially more at risk of contracting the virus formerly known as monkeypox.

The disease has been detected in at least 16 African countries, and Congolese authorities say the vaccination campaign is an urgent measure to protect the most vulnerable and a chance to stop the spread of the virus before it becomes uncontrollable. The Democratic Republic of Congo is the second African country to begin vaccinations against the virus after Rwanda did so on September 17.

Pauline Tshimanga, a nurse at a clinic on the outskirts of Goma, has seen the effects of mpox acid first-hand and can’t contain her excitement to receive the vaccine. “I have seen many people suffer from this disease. It causes a lot of pain and requires serious care. As a nurse, I want to protect my patients as well as my family. And this vaccine is a savior,” he says.

According to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 31,000 suspected smallpox cases have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the beginning of the year, of which more than 5,000 have been laboratory confirmed. In total, about 1,000 deaths were registered, most of them children. The African country faces several additional obstacles to stopping the disease: a lack of infrastructure, a lack of diagnostic resources, and widespread poverty and insecurity following a long military conflict.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 31,000 suspected cases of smallpox have already been registered in the DRC, of ​​which more than 5,000 are laboratory confirmed. Most of the dead are children

The situation is particularly dangerous in the country’s displaced persons camps, where people live in overcrowded conditions and do not have frequent access to doctors. In addition, many infected people are already in poor physical condition. For example, there are malnourished children who are fertile ground for smallpox because they are weakened. Rising rates of acute malnutrition in the country have put 4.5 million children under five and more than 3.7 million pregnant and breastfeeding women at increased risk of contracting and dying from the disease, according to the non-governmental organization Save The Children.

“Great opportunity”

Justine Masika, who works in a medical laboratory in Goma, also received her first dose of the vaccine on Saturday. In the hours that followed, she developed a fever and nausea, but she was happy. “This is nothing compared to the suffering caused by this disease. Vaccination is our great opportunity to stop this epidemic,” he said.

According to Gaston Lubambo, head of North Kivu’s health department, the goal of vaccination is to reach remote and hard-to-reach areas, and he recalled that prevention is necessary to break the chain of transmission. Therefore, he called on the population to scrupulously observe all hygiene measures, such as frequent hand washing with soap, the use of hydroalcoholic gel and protective equipment when approaching sick people. “The goal is to vaccinate 48,000 people in the province of North Kivu, where the risk is very high,” he explained.

Congo’s government has received 265,000 doses of vaccines donated by the European Union, the United States and Gavi, an international immunization consortium, but this is not enough to cover the entire population at risk, Congolese authorities said. Africa needs at least 10 million doses, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the continent’s top health authority. So far, the international community has committed to sending 3.66 million monkeypox doses to Africa, according to CDC sources, including three million shots announced by Japan (the largest donor so far).

There have been several sick people in our area and it is very scary. The only way to protect yourself is with a vaccine.

Sandrine Mutombo, resident of North Kivu

The vaccination strategy consists of two doses of the MVA-BN vaccine for adults and one dose of the LC-16 vaccine, which is produced in Japan, for those under 18 years of age, according to Romain Muboyai, the Health Ministry’s chief of staff.

Sandrine Mutombo saw several members of her community fall ill and decided to vaccinate her 17-year-old son. “I didn’t want to take risks with my son. There have been several cases here in our area and it is very scary. The only way to protect yourself is with a vaccine,” he says.

One of the pillars of this campaign is awareness. In addition to distributing medicines, authorities are informing the population about the disease and ways to protect themselves. To do this, they distribute leaflets, place posters on the streets, participate in radio programs and send messages on social networks.

The current smallpox outbreak spreading across Africa with a new variant (clade 1b) differs from the one that occurred in Europe in 2022 in its mode of transmission. While in Europe most cases of infection occurred during sexual relations between adults, now 70% of new cases occur in children. Although there was initial speculation about a more dangerous and contagious variant, more and more experts are questioning some of these hypotheses. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared mpox a “continental public health emergency” on August 13, and a day later the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a state of international health alert.