JOHANNESBURG: The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has formally requested a donation of at least 2 million doses of the mpox vaccine from Japan, according to senior officials from Africa’s leading public health agency and a Congolese representative on Tuesday.

Last week, Japan’s government acknowledged Congo’s request for mpox vaccines but did not specify the quantity needed.

Ngashi Ngongo of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) mentioned during a briefing that negotiations with Japan were "quite advanced," with Congo seeking the vaccine primarily to safeguard children.

Cris Kacita, head of Congo’s mpox response team, confirmed to Reuters that the Central African nation had indeed asked Japan for over 2 million vaccine doses.

Mpox, a potentially fatal infection characterized by flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions, spreads through close physical contact. Earlier this month, the World Health Organization declared it a global health emergency after a new strain, known as clade Ib, spread from Congo to neighboring African countries.

Japan currently holds a stockpile of the LC16 mpox vaccine, developed by Japanese company KM Biologics. Denmark’s Bavarian Nordic produces another vaccine, Jynneos. According to the Africa CDC, the first mpox vaccines could be delivered to Africa in early September.

Multiple strains of mpox are circulating in Africa, with Congo reporting the majority of cases on the continent this year.

During a presentation on Tuesday, the Africa CDC revealed that as of August 26, 13 African countries had reported over 22,800 mpox cases and 622 deaths in 2024, an increase from 18,900 cases and 541 deaths reported in 12 countries the previous week.

Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya expressed concern that Africa was unprepared for another pandemic, recalling the continent’s struggles during the COVID-19 crisis.

“We faced COVID without access to vaccines, medicines, or even basic supplies like syringes and gloves. We were left to fend for ourselves. Today, we find ourselves in a similar situation, scrambling for vaccines because we don’t produce them,” he said.

Kaseya also noted that a preliminary report identified only one unnamed African vaccine manufacturer with the potential to produce Bavarian Nordic’s mpox vaccine, provided the necessary technology transfer is made available.