Africa to Receive $1 Million Mpox Vaccine Doses

Africa is set to receive approximately one million doses of the mpox vaccine following a resurgence of the virus across the continent.

This announcement was made on Wednesday by Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), during a meeting of the World Health Organization's Regional Committee held in Brazzaville, Congo.

Kaseya confirmed that Africa is on track to secure nearly one million doses of the mpox vaccine, with 215,000 doses already obtained from the Danish pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic.

Several countries, including Spain, France, and Germany, have pledged to contribute additional vaccines, with Spain promising 500,000 doses and both France and Germany each offering 100,000 doses.

Kaseya emphasized the importance of transferring vaccine production technology to African manufacturers, stating, "We are telling Bavarian Nordic that we need technology transfer to African manufacturers... We believe that mpox vaccines will be produced in Africa very soon."

As of August 27, Africa has reported 22,863 suspected cases and 622 deaths linked to various mpox variants across the continent.

However, Kaseya noted that the number of confirmed cases is not widely discussed due to challenges in testing and transportation, with some countries having testing rates below 30%.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recorded 5,281 confirmed cases in Africa as of August 25, 2024, with 60% of suspected cases being confirmed through testing.

The WHO estimates that $135 million will be needed to fund the global response to mpox over the next six months. On Tuesday, the organization launched an appeal to raise $87.4 million to support its activities in combating the virus.

The re-emergence of mpox in Africa, particularly the new 1b variant, prompted the WHO to declare its highest level of global alert on August 14.

The virus has spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and 12 other countries, including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.

Mpox is a contagious disease caused by a virus that can be transmitted to humans through contact with infected animals.

It can also spread between humans through close physical contact. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, rash, and sores.