The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) expects to receive its first mpox vaccine doses next week, thanks to contributions from the United States and Japan.

Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba Mulamba announced on Monday that discussions with USAID and the U.S. government had concluded, and vaccines should arrive shortly.

This development aims to address the significant vaccine inequity that left African nations without access during the 2022 global mpox outbreak. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared mpox a global public health emergency, particularly due to the rapid spread of the clade Ib variant in Africa.

Japan's Ministry of Health confirmed its readiness to supply mpox vaccines to Congo, in collaboration with WHO and other partners. Japan-based KM Biologics and Denmark's Bavarian Nordic are the primary manufacturers of the vaccines.

Gavi, the global vaccine alliance, has pledged up to $500 million to support African countries facing mpox outbreaks. Congo has agreed to accept these vaccines as the country battles two strains of the virus: the endemic clade I and the newly emerging clade Ib.

Mpox, a viral infection that causes skin lesions and flu-like symptoms, is generally mild but can be fatal. The virus primarily spreads through close physical contact, though it doesn't easily transmit through the air, unlike COVID-19.