Around a third of mpox vaccines donated by Japan to the Democratic Republic of Congo are being wasted due to storage issues after preparation for use. Congo's mpox response head highlighted the problem amid efforts to combat the clade Ib strain that triggered a global health emergency last year. Japan has provided 3 million doses of its LC16 vaccine.
Around a third of the mpox vaccines donated by Japan to the Democratic Republic of Congo are being wasted because they cannot be stored once prepared for use, according to Cris Kacita, the head of Congo's mpox response. This issue arises in the fight against the clade Ib strain of mpox, which spread internationally and sparked a global health emergency last year.
Japan has donated 3 million doses of its LC16 vaccine to Congo. The second tranche of 1.5 million doses arrived in September, about two years after the outbreak began. Congo started vaccinating with LC16 in Kinshasa in August, and more than half a million people have now been vaccinated with either LC16 or Bavarian Nordic’s vaccine, Kacita said, although some data is outstanding.
The LC16 vaccine, produced in Japan, is intended to help combat the mpox outbreak, but storage challenges post-preparation are hindering its effectiveness. This donation underscores Japan-Congo health relations amid international efforts to address the crisis, though the waste rate raises questions about the aid's impact.