Democratic Republic of the Congo Mpox Vaccine Acceptance Initiative

This project aims to assess mpox knowledge, risk perception, and vaccine acceptability among at-risk populations in DRC to guide community-specific vaccine deployment and sensitisation campaigns. Principal Investigators: Jason Kindrachuk, University of Manitoba; Anne W Rimoin, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); Placide Mbala-Kingebeni, National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB), Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Purpose The public health burden of mpox has been steadily increasing in the DRC since the cessation of the smallpox vaccine and represents a growing burden of morbidity among the population. Simultaneously, vaccine coverage rates in the DRC are consistently below required thresholds. This is in large part due to the underfunding of public health, the lack of necessary health infrastructure, and the logistically challenge terrain. Long-term mpox response will rely on vaccination as a primary intervention, yet there exists a dearth of information about how best to disseminate a vaccine when a targeted rollout strategy is required logistically. The study will estimate mpox risk among key populations and record key attitudes and uptake behaviours that will be essential to successful vaccination campaigns in the future. Expected outcomes This investigation includes three primary outcomes: Design community-specific and respectful assessment tool through focused community engagement and collaboration with peer leaders. Assess community knowledge, sentiment, risk perception and stigmas around mpox infection and prevention. Analyse vaccine acceptability across among at-risk populations in rural and urban communities to guide vaccine deployment and sensitisation campaigns. Through long-term partnerships and collaborations between our team members, stakeholders and decisionmakers, we aim to engage in truly translational research that supports improved identification of cases and improved vaccination coverage among at-risk populations. ‍