Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo - August 19, 2024

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is desperately awaiting the first delivery of vaccines to fight an escalating mpox outbreak, a viral disease that has been declared a continental emergency in Africa.

Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba Mulamba of the DRC, the epicenter of the current outbreak, told a press conference on Monday that the country expects to receive the first arrival of doses as early as next week.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 16,000 mpox cases and roughly 570 deaths have been confirmed in the DRC, where over 90 percent of the infections have been identified in the latest strain of the virus outbreak sweeping Africa, according to the minister.

He said that both Japan and the United States had pledged vaccines to the DRC, which, like many other countries in Africa, are dependent on donations.

Oxfam International, an international charity organization, is among the organizations involved in the distribution of the urgently needed vaccines, the vast majority of which are stockpiled in richer nations and regions like Europe and the U.S.

Max Lawson, co-chair of People's Medicines Alliance and head of inequality policy and advocacy of Oxfam International, called for vaccine patent sharing to help poorer countries to make their own medicines.

The WHO last Wednesday declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern, raising alarms about its potential for increased global transmission, following an initial announcement on July 23, 2022.

Although the WHO has also warned against comparing mpox to COVID-19 in its global impact and reach. Oxfam raised serious concerns, with Lawson emphasizing the lack of willingness from developed nations to share vaccine technologies with poorer countries in the Global South.

Bavarian Nordic, the Danish company that makes the vaccine, has donated 40,000 doses to Africa's public health body, while the European Commission said the EU would be sending 215,000 doses from stockpiles to Africa, however there is so far no date for delivery.

Shotlist:
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo - Aug 19, 2024:
1. Various of medical worker preparing, administering injection;
2. Various of press conference in progress;
3. SOUNDBITE (French) Samuel Roger Kamba Mulamba, health minister, Democratic Republic of Congo:
"It's really a whole logistics chain, from our acceptance first and then a few administrative procedures before shipment. But our strategic vaccination response plan is already ready. We're just waiting for the vaccines to arrive.";
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo - Aug 2024
4. Various of medical workers walking, discussing;
London, UK - Aug 20, 2021
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Max Lawson, co-chair of People's Medicines Alliance/head of inequality policy and advocacy, Oxfam International:
"It's all about money and profit, and there's no money or profit in the developing world and particularly, in Africa, which is why you need a system, which is what the World Health Organization called for, where vaccine technology is shared all over the world, when we invest in factories all over the Global South. And there's plenty of scope to make profit in such a system, but you would have the ability of poor countries in the face of a crisis like this to make their own vaccines and make their own medicines.";
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo - Aug 2024
6. Medical workers in ward;
London, UK - Aug 20, 2021
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Max Lawson, co-chair of People's Medicines Alliance/head of inequality policy and advocacy, Oxfam International:
"They didn't want to share technology, they didn't want to open up their patents, they didn't want to threaten the profits of their pharmaceutical corporations. So, we have the same broken system. Walking into another pandemic just a few years later is the definition of stupidity. And I think the European leadership plays a huge part in being a problem there, just as they did in COVID-19.";
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo - Aug 2024
8. Poster about mpox on wall, pedestrians;
9. Medical workers walking.

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