United States Donation of 50,000 Mpox Vaccine Doses Arrives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Today, the United States, through USAID, completed the delivery of 50,000 doses of the JYNNEOS mpox vaccine to the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to support its efforts to respond to the ongoing outbreak of clade I mpox. This important milestone is the result of months of U.S.-led efforts with partners on multiple continents which have not only facilitated this delivery but also eased the regulatory and logistical processes to pave the way for other partners to provide vaccine donations. 

USAID and other U.S. government agencies are collaborating with the Government of DRC and partners such as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, WHO, Africa CDC, and UNICEF, to deliver vaccines to the communities at greatest risk for mpox. The U.S. government is also continuing to encourage other countries to consider additional support, including vaccines, in order to curb the outbreak in sub-Saharan Africa. 

On August 14, the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak in several countries in Africa a public health emergency of international concern, and DRC has been the most severely impacted country by the outbreak.

Vaccination is a critical component of the response, but it is not the only effort underway to mitigate this outbreak. USAID and other U.S. government agencies have already committed more than $55 million to response efforts and are supporting a comprehensive range of public health interventions aimed at reducing mpox transmission, morbidity, and mortality in DRC and other countries in the region. Our assistance includes enhancing surveillance, risk communication and community engagement, laboratory and diagnostics, infection prevention and control, clinical services, and coordination.