Germany to Donate 100,000 Mpox Vaccine Doses to Combat Outbreak in Africa
Germany has announced a significant contribution to help tackle the mpox outbreak in Africa. The country will donate 100,000 doses of mpox vaccine from its military reserves to aid in the immediate containment of the virus on the continent, according to a government spokesperson on Monday.
In addition to the vaccine donation, Germany will provide flexible financial resources to the World Health Organization (WHO) through various channels to support efforts against mpox. The country will also collaborate with the GAVI Vaccine Alliance to support its partners in Africa, ensuring a comprehensive response to the crisis.
The German military currently holds approximately 117,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine, which was procured in 2022. While Germany will retain a small reserve of the vaccine to protect its own personnel, including those traveling to affected regions, the bulk of the stock will be made available to address the outbreak. A decision on whether to reorder additional vaccines will be made separately, according to a defense ministry spokesperson.
The WHO has declared mpox a global public health emergency following an outbreak that began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and spread to neighboring countries. The emergence of a new strain of the virus, known as clade Ib, has raised concerns about the rapidity of transmission.
Germany is focused on quickly distributing the vaccines to the most impacted areas, with priority given to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as Burundi and neighboring countries in East Africa. The foreign ministry is coordinating efforts to ensure that the vaccines reach those in need as swiftly as possible.
