Rwanda Becomes First African Nation to Begin Mpox Vaccination Campaign

Rwanda has taken a significant step in combating the Mpox virus, becoming the first African country to administer vaccines against the disease.

On Tuesday, September 17, several hundred high-risk individuals near Rwanda’s border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) received their first doses of the Mpox vaccine.

This comes as the DRC has been hardest hit by the virus, reporting nearly 22,000 cases and over 700 deaths between January and August.

 The African Union’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) confirmed Rwanda’s move while also announcing that the DRC will commence its own vaccination campaign in early October.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) recently approved the MVA-BN Mpox vaccine, which is administered in two doses, four weeks apart.

Africa CDC reports a total of 29,152 Mpox cases and 738 deaths across 15 African nations.

 As Mpox continues to cause multiple outbreaks, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed concern, particularly for the situation in Burundi and the DRC.

While Rwanda’s vaccination campaign is a step in the right direction, the Africa CDC highlighted that testing remains a challenge, with only half of suspected cases being tested.

The agency aims to increase testing to over 80 percent to better contain the virus and prevent further loss of life.