Kinshasa, June 2nd, 2025(CPA) – 1.5 million doses of the ‘LC16m8’ vaccine against Mpox (monkey pox), donated by the Japanese government to the Democratic Republic of Congo, were received on Saturday at Ndjili international airport in Kinshasa, the CPA learnt on Monday from a press release from the Centre for Emergency Public Health Operations (COUSP).
‘A first batch of 1.5 million doses of LC16m8 vaccine, a gift from the Japanese government to the Congolese people, was received this Saturday, May 31st at Ndjili international airport in Kinshasa, on an Air France flight,’ the statement read.
According to the source, the reception ceremony was presided over by Professor Christian Ngandu, coordinator of the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (COUSP) of the DRC’s National Institute of Public Health (INSP), on behalf of the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo. This donation is a great satisfaction for the DRC, in response to the high demand for Mpox vaccines: ‘The LC16m8 vaccine, recognized for its efficacy, represents a strategic turning point in health prevention and response efforts’, reassured the source.
According to Ismaël Ngoma Serge, coordinator of Japanese donation projects in the DRC, a second batch is expected by the end of June, bringing the total to 3 million doses, in addition to the 50,000 doses already delivered to the DRC. However, Professor Christian Ngandu, quoted in the press release, welcomed this gesture of compassion from the Japanese government, which he saw as a major contribution to public health, before stressing the importance of strengthened bilateral cooperation in the service of the population. In addition to COUSP, the ceremony was attended by the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in Kinshasa, represented by Serge Kabeya, head of the logistics division.