Germany to Donate 100,000 Mpox Vaccine Doses to Africa Amid Surge in Cases
Germany has announced it will donate 100,000 mpox vaccine doses to countries in Africa facing a surge in cases. The vaccines, sourced from German military stocks, will be made available in the short term to help contain the spread of the virus on the continent.
This move will see Germany nearly deplete its mpox vaccine reserves, totaling around 118,000 doses. In addition to the vaccine donation, Germany is providing financial support to the World Health Organisation and partners in Africa through the Gavi vaccine alliance.
In the medium term, Germany plans to collaborate with European partners to assist the African Union in establishing local vaccine production. The World Health Organisation recently declared the surge in mpox cases from the Democratic Republic of Congo a global health emergency, urging for increased vaccine production and sharing.
France and the US have also pledged vaccine donations to affected countries, with the virus spreading to other African nations and even reaching Europe. The new strain of mpox, Clade 1b, has resulted in a more deadly outbreak with over 570 deaths in DR Congo this year.