The global vaccine alliance Gavi will buy 500,000 doses of mpox vaccine to battle outbreaks of the disease in African countries, the organization said on Wednesday.
The vaccine doses - manufactured by the Danish company Bavarian Nordic - will be available this year, Gavi said, without giving any specific dates.
Gavi said the full costs, including the transportation, delivery and administration of the doses, amounting to $50 million, would be covered by the group's First Response Fund , a new financial mechanism created in June 2024 .
Since the beginning of the year, there have been over 25,000 confirmed mpox cases and 723 related deaths, the vast majority in Congo, and the World Health Organization declared it a global health emergency.
So far Congo, the epicenter of the global health emergency, has received only 250,000 vaccine doses, donated by the European Union and the United States . The 250,000 doses are just a fraction of the 3 million doses authorities have said are needed to end the mpox outbreak in the country.
