A medical staff member administers a dose of mpox vaccine to a local resident at a hospital in Goma, North Kivu Province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Oct. 5, 2024. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) launched on Saturday a vaccination campaign against mpox in Goma, the capital of the eastern North Kivu province. (Photo: Xinhua)

 

A staff member of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is given a dose of mpox vaccine at a hospital in Goma, North Kivu Province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Oct. 5, 2024. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) launched on Saturday a vaccination campaign against mpox in Goma, the capital of the eastern North Kivu province. (Photo: Xinhua)

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) launched on Saturday a vaccination campaign against mpox in Goma, the capital of the eastern North Kivu province.

Health authorities said the campaign primarily targets health workers and frontline stakeholders, as well as those in contact with confirmed cases and other at-risk groups.

At the launching ceremony, Romain Muboyayi, chief of staff at the health ministry, promised a "total fight" against this "preventable and curable disease."

According to the World Health Organization, the DRC, the epicenter of the mpox outbreak, accounts for about 90 percent of the cases recorded in the African region.

Mpox, also known as monkeypox, is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus that spreads through close contact, with symptoms such as fever, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, muscle aches, skin rash, and back pain.