By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan has confirmed the receipt of a request from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), seeking the release of mpox vaccines and needles manufactured in the country.
The ministry on Monday said it is at the moment preparing to provide these supplies with the cooperation of the WHO and other partners.
This comes days after the World Health Organization declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years as a new variant of the disease spread rapidly in Africa.
Japan-based KM Biologics is one of the two manufacturers of widely used mpox vaccines while Denmark’s Bavarian Nordic makes the other vaccine, called Jynneos.
Originally named “monkeypox” when it was first identified in monkeys in 1958, Heritage Times HT reports that the name of the disease was updated to “mpox” in 2022 to reduce stigma.
Endemic to parts of Central and West Africa, mpox is related to the virus that caused the now-eradicated smallpox, and can be fatal in severe cases.
Although outbreaks are common in DRC, health experts say the recent rise is due to a new strain, clade 1, that is spreading faster and wider than ever before.
WHO had earlier said cases have been detected in 13 African countries, as well Sweden, Pakistan and the Philippines.
The Africa Centre for Disease Control said cases are up 160 percent in 2024 compared with the same period last year.
In DRC the disease has been detected in all 26 provinces.
As of last week, the country recorded more than 15,000 cases of mpox, resulting in 548 deaths this year.
