Congos mpox vaccination drive‚ which kicked off earlier this month is encountering obstacles. Cris Kacita head of the countrys mpox response team‚ pointed out that more effort is needed to boost vaccine uptake. He stated‚ “The awareness campaign has been carried out but only timidly These are gaps that need to be filled“
At a vaccination site in Kibati (a camp for displaced people in North Kivu province) residents expressed their lack of knowledge about the inoculation efforts. Simon Ngagijimana Chui the camp chief‚ said “I know nothing about this vaccine No one has come to educate me about any vaccination against mpox“
The campaignʼs scope is limited due to vaccine supply constraints: only 265000 doses are currently available for a population of roughly 100 million. To address this issue health workers in Kibati have recruited local advocates who have been vaccinated and are trusted by the community to promote the benefits
Benire Furahini Buchaguzi‚ a 22-year-old advocate uses a loudspeaker to spread her message. She explained‚ “I bring my vaccination certificate to the community to show them that I have received my vaccine and to encourage them“ However Florence Frebo Uwimana a young mother listening to Buchaguzi‚ mentioned it was the first she had heard of the vaccination campaign
Africa has reported over 42400 suspected and confirmed mpox cases and 1100 deaths since the start of the year with Congo accounting for the vast majority. Healthcare workers in Goma the provincial capital‚ are worried that the lack of information will undermine efforts to contain the disease
Dr Hassan Amisi Djuma a public health expert working in Goma expressed his concern: “Perhaps they havent been informed about this vaccine If the population hasnt been informed about a disease the risk is it may spread among them“