The Democratic Republic of Congo will not receive its first mpox vaccine delivery this week, according to the head of its response team.
Congo is facing a new variant of the virus that has spread internationally.
The World Health Organization reclassified mpox as a global health emergency on August 14 for the second time in two years.
This came as Congo dealt with an outbreak exacerbated by the new variant.
Congo’s health minister had hoped for vaccine doses by this week, thanks to pledges from the U.S. and Japan.
However, Cris Kacita, the head of Congo’s response team, said there are still procedural steps to complete.
Kacita explained that Congo’s pharmaceutical regulatory agency must consult with Danish drugmaker Bavarian Nordic before the vaccines can be shipped. This process is causing delays.
Bavarian Nordic has stated it can produce 10 million vaccine doses by 2025 and supply up to 2 million this year.
The arrival of these doses would address disparities in vaccine access between Africa and other regions.
