**DRC Launches Vaccination Campaign to Combat Mpox Outbreak**

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have initiated a vaccination campaign against mpox, following a declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the disease constitutes a global emergency. The vaccinations started in the eastern city of Goma, located in North Kivu province, where hospitals and healthcare workers have been overwhelmed by the new, potentially more infectious strain of mpox.

Among the 265,000 doses donated to the DRC from the EU and the US, some have already been administered in Goma. The country has reported around 30,000 suspected mpox cases and 859 deaths, which accounts for over 80% of all mpox cases and nearly 99% of all deaths reported in Africa this year. Notably, all 26 provinces of the central African country have recorded mpox cases.

Despite the high prevalence of mpox infections and deaths among children under 15 in the DRC, the current vaccine doses are designated for adults. These vaccines will be given to at-risk populations and frontline workers, according to health minister Roger Kamba. "Strategies have been put in place by the services in order to vaccinate all targeted personnel," stated Muboyayi Chikayal, the minister's chief of staff, during the launch of the vaccination.

Moreover, the DRC expects to receive an additional 3 million vaccine doses from Japan, which have been approved for use in children, in the coming days. This addition aims to further bolster the country's efforts in curbing the spread of mpox and protecting its vulnerable populations.