Global vaccine alliance buys over half million Mpox doses for Africa

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, said it signed a deal with Bavarian Nordic to acquire 500,000 Mpox jabs to be sent to Africa urgently.

The vaccine’s will be funded by Gavi’s First Response Fund, a new financial mechanism created in June 2024 to make cash rapidly available to purchase vaccines in health emergencies.

The Mpox outbreak was declared a global health emergency with its epicenter DRC suffering 700 deaths this year and 22,000 cases.

It is estimated that 10 million vaccines are needed to meet demand, but the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which accounts for most cases, only received 100,000 vaccines earlier this month.

The vaccines, to be acquired by Gavi, received prequalification from the WHO on September 13, and Bavarian Nordic will be ready to supply them pending the signing of a supply agreement with UNICEF, Gavi’s alliance partner, which will be delivering these doses.

“The First Response Fund was designed in collaboration with Gavi donors and partners specifically to provide rapid early funding for emergencies such as mpox. Using it today to fund the first direct transaction for vaccines in support of equitable access and the global response, just over a month since mpox was declared a public health emergency, takes us a long way towards our goal of protecting those most at risk,” Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance said in a statement.