Brown G. W. auteur aut IRD von Agris J. auteur aut IRD Bell D. auteur aut IRD Sturmberg J. auteur aut IRD Ridde Valéry auteur aut IRD Makali S. L. auteur aut IRD Balaluka G. B. auteur aut IRD Bridge G. auteur aut IRD Paul E. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf reformatted digital access The emergency declarations for Mpox triggered a flurry of appeals for 'vaccine equity' and the mass production of additional vaccine doses, citing a need to 'learn lessons' from COVID-19. We question whether the right lessons have been learned in terms of a supposed need to rollout vaccines quickly and widely, raising concerns about the consequences of an overreliance on expert-driven mass vaccination strategies over more diversified, context-specific and systemic public health strategies. Compared to COVID-19, Mpox has no such epidemic potential because it requires close contact for transmission. Moreover, Congolese populations face far more pressing health burdens. Thus, the health needs of the population risk being lost within a response focused on global procurement of costly health technologies whatever the context in which the outbreak is occurring. Alternatively, locally owned prioritisation and public health and sanitation approaches are key, which should be proportionate to relative disease burdens, and which utilise a diversity of strategies that are cost-effective and with wider public health benefits. specialized Mpox response Vaccines Vaccine equity Lessons from Covid-19 REPUBLIQUE DEMOCRATIQUE DU CONGO 056 052 18 6 102749 [4 p.] 2025 1876-0341 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010093515 10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102749 1876-0341 [F B010093515] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010093515 https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/2025-06/010093515.pdf IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2025-06-11 2026-06-12 fdi:010093515 fre