They will work closely with the Ministry of Health and other agencies to screen incoming visitors for signs of the virus.
In eastern Congo, people are trapped between relentless fighting in their villages and overcrowded camps with scarce food and rampant mpox. Survival is a daily struggle in the conflict-ridden region.
Africa has seen over 32,000 suspected mpox cases including 840 deaths so far this year, according to Africa CDC data.
The Ministry of Health insisted on the importance of adhering to preventive measures to curb the spread of the virus.
The UNICEF appeal will also provide mental health support for parents and frontline workers who may face hostility from some communities in part because of the association of mpox with sex.
Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya said that several hundred high-risk individuals in Rwanda received the vaccine earlier this week.
The Africa CDC reported that 177 per cent surge in mpox cases and a 38.5 per cent increase in deaths compared to the same time last highlighting the urgency of the situation.
Four of the five Kenyans confirmed to have contracted Mpox so far are truck drivers, with the fifth being a trucker’s spouse.
The allocated budget has been categorised into three main areas: local containment, regional control and national management.
The first two cases in Uganda were confirmed in July.
The vaccine, known as MVA-BN, is administered in two doses, four weeks apart, to individuals over 18 years.
Africa has seen over 26,000 suspected mpox cases including 724 deaths so far this year, Africa CDC data showed.
Canada would not say to whom it would deliver the vaccines, or in what time frame.
There is currently a nationwide alert on the mpox outbreak, as the Ministry of Health confirmed the fifth case on Friday—a 28-year-old female from Mombasa.
Congo's health minister, Samuel Roger Kamba Mulamba, told reporters the newly arrived vaccine had already proved its worth in the United States and would be rolled out to adults in Congo.
Active surveillance for suspected cases is ongoing to prevent further spread of the disease. Currently, 33 contacts are under close observation.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is not new to the DRC. The disease is endemic in various regions, with case reports rising over the past decade.
The vaccine doses' arrival would help to address a huge inequity that left African countries with no access to the two shots used in a 2022 global mpox outbreak.
The outbreak was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and the World Health Organisation in August 2024.
Residents were encouraged to report any suspected cases to local health facilities.