Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said on Monday it has received a request from the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the provision of mpox vaccines and needles manufactured in the country.

This comes days after the World Health Organization declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years as a new variant of the disease spread rapidly in Africa.

The ministry said it was currently preparing to provide these supplies with the cooperation of the WHO and other partners.

Japan-based KM Biologics is one of the two manufacturers of widely used mpox vaccines. Denmark's Bavarian Nordic makes the other vaccine, called Jynneos.

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