Japan donates 3m mpox vaccine doses to Democratic Republic of Congo amid child-focused outbreak

Japan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have finalized a deal for Japan to donate 3 million doses of the LC16 mpox vaccine, a minimally replicating vaccine historically used in Japan in the 1970s.

The donation comes as children under 15 years old have been disproportionately affected by the mpox outbreak in the DRC.

The contribution, which also includes specialized inoculation needles, was praised by Kaseya, who leads the DRC’s health response. “This timely assistance will significantly bolster our ongoing efforts to contain the outbreak, and I am confident that this partnership will help mitigate the public health threat posed by mpox, not only in the DRC but across the continent,” Kaseya said.

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Mike Ryan, MD, head of the WHO’s health emergencies program, highlighted the importance of scarification—a skilled but effective vaccination technique—as part of broader strategies to break transmission chains. While vaccination plays a key role, Ryan emphasized that isolating the sick and supporting affected families remain critical to curbing the outbreak.