European Commission, Bavarian Nordic Donate 215,000 Monkeypox Vaccines to Africa

The European Commission has announced it is coordinating the procurement and donation of over 215,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

On Tuesday, the Africa CDC declared a public health emergency due to the monkeypox outbreak across the continent and appealed for approximately 2 million vaccine doses. From January to July, at least 15,074 mpox cases were reported across 12 African Union member states, including 2,853 confirmed cases, 12,221 suspected cases, and 461 deaths.

In response, the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) will supply 175,420 doses of the MVA-BN vaccine, the only FDA and EMA-approved vaccine for monkeypox. Additionally, the pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic will contribute 40,000 doses. The Africa CDC will oversee the distribution of these vaccines based on regional needs.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a rare viral disease that can spread between individuals. While it typically causes mild symptoms, such as fever, headache, muscle aches, and a rash that begins on the face and spreads to other areas, some cases may lead to complications.