Kinshasa, Sep 6 : A first batch of 99,100 doses of mpox vaccines was delivered to Congo, the epicentre of the global health crisis.

"In total, that will make 200,000 doses on Saturday. Today, we received 99,100 doses, and the rest (will be received) on Saturday," said Roger Kamba, Congolese Health Minister, on Thursday, at Kinshasa's N'djili Airport, promising to contain the virus as quickly as possible, especially in the most affected provinces, such as the South Kivu and Equateur.

"It is first the vaccines for adults that have arrived," the Health Minister said, adding that the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) will be in charge of the vaccination campaign in the most affected provinces, without specifying the date for the launch of the vaccination, Xinhua news agency reported.

However, according to a statement released on Wednesday by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Congolese Health Ministry plans to start rolling out the vaccines this weekend.

"Vaccines alone will not be enough to stop these epidemics," warned the WHO, calling on stakeholders to strengthen surveillance, risk communication, community engagement, clinical and home care, and coordination.

Congo, which declared a national mpox epidemic at the end of 2022, has reported more than 18,000 suspected cases, including 629 deaths, since the beginning of 2024, with four out of five deaths being children, according to a statement released last Sunday by the Unicef.

The WHO declared mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, a public health emergency of international concern in mid-August, warning of the potential for increased transmission of the disease globally.

The WHO declaration comes after the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention deemed the ongoing mpox outbreak a public health emergency of continental security.

/IANS