What is the situation regarding vaccines in DRC?
DRC has validated two vaccines and is trying to obtain supplies, but at this stage, no vaccine is yet available. Negotiations are underway with certain countries, and priority areas are being identified. We hope that things will soon be resolved and that sufficient vaccines will be supplied to the country to act in the main epidemic areas.
What are MSF teams doing in the meantime?
We have set up several interventions to support the response to this outbreak. This is not the first time: emergency interventions were already carried out in 2021 in Mai-Ndombe province, then in 2023 and early 2024 in Équateur province. But we’re stepping up our efforts given the recent developments.
Since mid-June, one of our teams has been supporting the Uvira health zone in South Kivu. We are supporting the provision of care for people with severe symptoms at the Uvira general referral hospital, and follow up with patients with milder forms of the disease on an outpatient basis, while isolating suspected cases. Our teams are training medical staff in medical management and are also involved in infection prevention and control measures and community awareness-raising. In Uvira, over the last five weeks, more than 420 patients have already been treated by MSF, including 217 serious cases. We are also providing hospitals with kits for treatment and for taking samples.
In North Kivu, we have launched surveillance and awareness-raising activities in the displaced people’s camp sites in Goma where we are present, and we are strengthening health care facilities in terms of triage, isolation and management of patients presenting mpox symptoms.
In the northwest of the country, two other interventions have been launched: one in the Bikoro health zone, in Équateur, and the other in the Budjala health zone in South-Ubangi. Both interventions will be carried out for several months. They are also aimed at training medical staff in medical and psychological care, strengthening epidemiological surveillance, infection prevention and control measures, including community awareness-raising, particularly for groups of people that are sometimes more difficult to involve, such as people with disabilities. In Budjala, 329 patients were treated with our support between mid-June and mid-July. In Équateur province, we will also be conducting operational research with the health authorities to better understand the dynamics of the virus and how to combat the disease.
Fonte original msf.org
