By John Ikani
Several countries have stepped up to donate mpox vaccines to African nations battling a new outbreak.
This follows the World Health Organization’s (WHO) declaration of the disease as a global public health emergency, a repeat of its action in 2022.
The donations aim to address the stark inequity faced by Africa during the previous outbreak, where the continent lacked access to the available vaccines.
A Look at National Pledges
Here’s a breakdown of countries that have promised to donate doses manufactured by either Denmark’s Bavarian Nordic or Japan’s KM Biologics:
France: Pledging 100,000 doses, France will prioritize based on “locally identified needs,” as per its health ministry website updated on August 23rd.
Germany: To assist with short-term outbreak control, Germany will donate 100,000 doses from its military stockpiles, confirmed a government spokesperson on August 26th.
Japan: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) requested at least 2 million doses from Japan, according to a senior official at Africa’s top public health institute and a Congolese official on August 27th. Previously, Japan acknowledged a request from DRC but hadn’t specified the quantity.
Spain: Committing 20% of its stockpile, Spain will donate 500,000 doses, its health ministry announced on August 27th. Additionally, they have urged the European Commission to encourage similar donations (20% of each member state’s stock) from all EU countries.
United States: The U.S. State Department revealed on August 22nd its plan to donate 50,000 doses of Bavarian Nordic’s vaccine to the DRC, alongside financial support for rollout.
Further, the U.S. Agency for International Development announced a separate donation of 10,000 mpox vaccine doses to Nigeria on August 27th.
EU Strategy: Coordination and Procurement
The European Union (EU) has emphasized coordinated donations among its members, rather than individual efforts. The European Commission holds a joint procurement contract with Bavarian Nordic specifically for vaccines intended for donation.
The bloc’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) agreed to acquire 175,420 doses of Bavarian’s vaccine to be donated to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Additionally, the Danish company will provide a separate donation of 40,000 doses.
