STORY: DR Congo to kick off new round of mpox vaccination: health minister  
SHOOTING TIME: Nov. 13, 2024 /File
DATELINE: Nov. 14, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:29
LOCATION: Kinshasa 
CATEGORY: HEALTH 

SHOTLIST:
1. various of a press conference in Kinshasa, DR Congo
2. SOUNDBITE (French): ROGER KAMBA, Health Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
3. various of a health center treating mpox patients in Goma, a city in eastern DR Congo (file footages shot in August 2024) 

STORYLINE:

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the epicenter of the ongoing mpox epidemic, will kick off a new round of vaccination, Health Minister Roger Kamba said late Wednesday.

The DRC, which has recorded more than 1,100 deaths from mpox since the beginning of 2024, has so far vaccinated around 51,000 people.

"These people must now have the second dose," said the minister at a press briefing in Kinshasa, without specifying the date for the next vaccination round.

The DRC has some 200,000 doses of the vaccine on hand and expects to receive an additional 100,000 doses this Thursday, said Kamba. The country aims to vaccinate a total of 2.5 million people using 3.5 million doses.

Since the beginning of this year, 42,912 suspected cases have been reported, including 9,456 confirmed cases and 1,132 deaths. The Central African country is facing a higher mortality rate due to delayed diagnosis and limited access to treatment in several health zones, according to the WHO.

SOUNDBITE (French): ROGER KAMBA, Health Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
"We now have over 42,000 suspected cases and over 1,100 mpox deaths across the country since the beginning of this year. It takes two injections for a complete mpox vaccination. We have finished the first phase with about 51,000 people vaccinated, who should get a second shot. We will also generalize (the mpox vaccines) with the second phase. We now have about 200,000 doses of vaccine available. We are expected to receive over 100,000 doses tomorrow. We are in discussions to receive more. For now, we only vaccinate the adults."

Mpox, also known as monkeypox, is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It spreads through close contact with symptoms such as fever, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, muscle aches, skin rash and back pain.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Kinshasa.
(XHTV)