Nine African Nations That Are Severely Impacted By Mpox

Nine (9) African nations that are severely impacted by the current mpox outbreak have received an initial allocation of 899 000 vaccine doses through the Access and Allocation Mechanism (AAM) for mpox.

The distribution of the medications, in collaboration with the impacted nations and donors, attempts to guarantee that the restricted dosages are used efficiently and equitably, with the ultimate goal of containing the outbreaks.

Following the suggestions of an independent Technical Review Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO), the AAM principals from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), UNICEF, and the World Health Organization (WHO) authorized the allocation.

Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, and the Central African Republic are the nine nations.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has four out of every five laboratory-confirmed cases in Africa this year, will receive the most doses (85% of the allocation).

The European Union (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Luxemburg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and Spain, as well as the European Union Health Emergency Response Authority) Canada, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the United States of America are the sources of these doses.

In mid-August, the WHO and Africa CDC declared a public health emergency of international concern and a public health emergency of continental security, respectively, due to the mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its neighboring countries, specifically the increase in the viral strain clade Ib.

Nineteen African nations have reported cases of mpox this year, many of them recently afflicted by the virus. With more than 38,000 suspected cases and more than 1000 recorded deaths this year, the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to be the epicenter of the outbreak.

In addition to prompt testing and diagnosis, efficient clinical care, infection prevention, and community engagement, vaccination is advised as part of a comprehensive mpox response strategy. Vaccines have a significant impact.

Limited vaccination has started in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in recent weeks. This distribution to the nine nations is a major step in the direction of a targeted and coordinated vaccination rollout to halt the mpox outbreaks.

The introduction of mpox vaccines will be a novel endeavor for the majority of nations. Targeted vaccination implementation calls for more resources. The mpox AAM’s partners, who were established last month, are attempting to expand the response. Before the year ends, more vaccine distributions are anticipated.

By the end of 2024, the Mpox Vaccines AAM should have access to more than 5.85 million doses of the vaccine, including the nearly 900,000 doses that have been allotted.

Contributions from several countries and organizations are included in the supply, including 1.85 millions of doses of MVA-BN were donated by the US, Canada, and the EU; Gavi used the First Response Fund to donate 500,000 doses of MVA-BN; UNICEF purchased 500,000 doses; and Japan provided an additional 3 million doses of the LC16 vaccine.