Germany to donate 100,000 mpox vaccine doses to combat outbreak in Africa
BERLIN – Germany will donate 100,000 mpox vaccine doses from its military stocks to Africa, aiming to contain the outbreak in the short term, said the government spokesperson, Steffen Hebestreit, on Monday.
Additionally, he confirmed that a mobile laboratory for detecting the virus will be delivered to the Democratic Republic of Congo. This facility will provide training on virus detection and educate the public about preventive measures.
The government will also allocate flexible financial resources to the World Health Organisation through various instruments to combat mpox. Additionally, it will support its African partners via the GAVI vaccine alliance, the spokesperson added.
The aid is primarily targeted at the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and neighbouring countries, according to a foreign ministry spokesperson.
Germany has around 117,000 doses of Jynneos, which is being stockpiled by the German army after Berlin procured it in 2022.
Meanwhile, the U.N. health agency unveiled a six-month plan to curb the mpox outbreak, focussing on increasing staffing in affected regions and enhancing surveillance, prevention, and response strategies.
The World Health Organisation stated that the plan, covering the period from September to February next year, will require $135 million in funding. It aims to ensure equitable access to vaccines, particularly in the African countries most affected by the outbreak.
“Mpox outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighbouring countries can be controlled and can be stopped,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
