A first delivery of monkeypox vaccines is expected to arrive in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the coming days, the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced on Friday.
About 230,000 monkeypox vaccine doses are available for immediate dispatch but that could take up to two weeks to arrive, an official said.
The announcement for vaccines being shipped to Dr Congo was made on Friday, as Nairobi confirmed the first case in the Kenyan capital.
The disease's resurgence in the DR Congo of a new strain, called Clade 1b, prompted the WHO to declare its highest international alert level on August 14.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "We hope to have the first delivery in the next few days, and then it will build up."
WHO is reviewing applications for emergency licences for two vaccines made by Denmark's Bavarian Nordic and Japan's KM Biologics.
Cases are surging in the region, with outbreaks reported in Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda, and also further afield in Asia and Europe.
At least 22,863 suspected cases had been reported in Africa as of August 27, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday.
"The number of reported cases of Clade 1b has been rising rapidly for several weeks. Fortunately, relatively few deaths have been reported in recent weeks," Mr Tedros said.
"WHO is working to accelerate access to, and delivery of, vaccines. It's vital to stress that although vaccines are a powerful tool, they are far from the only tool.
"We believe we can stop these outbreaks in the next six months. But what this region of DR Congo needs more than anything else is a political solution to the long-running insecurity."
More than 18,000 suspected cases of monkeypox have been reported in the DR Congo so far this year, with 629 deaths, Mr Tedros added.
The US Food and Drug Administration has also granted expanded approval to Emergent BioSolutions' smallpox vaccine for use in people at high risk of monkeypox infection.
African vaccine manufacturers are gearing up to make monkeypox shots as the outbreak spreads.
The Biovac Institute in South Africa is able to produce the shots but is waiting for discussions with companies including Bavarian Nordic, chief executive Morena Makhoana said.
The Africa CDC, which also declared a public health emergency over the outbreak, is trying to build up the acquisition of vaccines.
While the continent has dealt with monkeypox since the 1970s - making it the only region where the disease is endemic.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
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MATCH INFO
Qalandars 112-4 (10 ovs)
Banton 53 no
Northern Warriors 46 all out (9 ovs)
Kumara 3-10, Garton 3-10, Jordan 2-2, Prasanna 2-7
Qalandars win by six wickets
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
