KINSHASA (Reuters) – Democratic Republic of Congo received on Thursday its first batch of mpox vaccines, which health authorities hope will help curb an outbreak that has prompted a U.N. declaration of a global public health emergency.
Congo is the epicentre of the outbreak, which has spread to neighbouring countries and elsewhere, but a lack of vaccines in Africa has hampered efforts to stop the spread of the sometimes deadly disease.
A plane carrying doses manufactured by Bavarian Nordic and donated by the European Union touched down in the capital Kinshasa around 13:00 local time (12:00 GMT), Reuters reporters at the airport said.
This first delivery amounts to 99,000 doses and a further delivery on Saturday will take the total to 200,000 doses, said Laurent Muschel, the head of the EU Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA).
(Reporting by Ange Kasongo, Justin Makangara and Alessandra Prentice; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
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