Rwanda becomes first country in Africa to administer Mpox vaccination

Rwanda has made a historic leap as the first African nation to administer mpox vaccines, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

During a weekly media briefing on Thursday, Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya said that several hundred high-risk individuals in Rwanda received the vaccine earlier this week.

“Africa has taken a significant step in its fight against mpox with Rwanda becoming the first country on the continent to administer vaccines against the virus,” Kaseya stated.

This initiative reflects a broader commitment to public health and disease prevention in the region.

The initial batch of 300 doses was given on Tuesday, specifically in areas near Rwanda’s border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This region has been particularly hard-hit by the outbreak, with the DRC reporting nearly 22,000 cases and over 700 deaths between January and August.

Kaseya emphasised the situation's urgency, noting the need for swift action to curb the spread of the virus.

He confirmed that the DRC will launch its vaccination campaign in the first week of October. This coordinated effort underscores the importance of regional collaboration in addressing public health crises and protecting vulnerable populations.

Rwanda commenced its mpox vaccination campaign, targeting seven districts with “high-risk populations” near the Congo border.  Nigeria donated 1,000 doses to Rwanda from an allotment of 10,000 it received from the United States.

Africa CDC noted that Rwanda and other countries are now requesting more vaccine doses than they initially indicated. Kaseya noted that African experts estimate the continent may need approximately 10 million vaccines to address the ongoing outbreaks effectively.

In a collaborative effort, the Japanese government has signed an agreement to provide three million doses of the mpox vaccine to the DRC.

Meanwhile, World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for increased international support to stop the spread of the virus.

DRC will start its vaccination campaign in early October, with 165,000 doses already delivered, with further commitments from European nations for hundreds of thousands more.

The country has been leading in the mpox outbreak in Africa, recording 2,912 new cases and 14 additional deaths in the past week. This raises the total to 6,105 cases and 738 deaths since the start of the year.

Kaseya also highlighted the urgent need for local vaccine production in Africa.

“We also need this vaccine to start to be manufactured in Africa, and we are working strongly and closely with our manufacturers and partners to have these vaccines produced in one of the African countries,” he said.

WHO granted its first authorisation for a vaccine against mpox in adults, representing a critical step in combating the disease across the continent. The approval of the vaccine by Bavarian Nordic A/S means that organisations like Gavi and UNICEF can purchase it, although supply is limited due to there being only one manufacturer.

During a press briefing on August 19, Health Director-General Patrick Amoth announced that Kenya would receive two million doses from the Denmark-based Nordic manufacturing company by December.

He said the government will give priority to the most vulnerable groups, similar to the approach taken during the Covid-19 pandemic.