African countries are expected to receive about one million doses of the monkeypox vaccine following the virus’s resurgence, as announced by the director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Wednesday.
Dr. Jean Kaseya, director-general of Africa CDC, stated during a WHO Regional Committee meeting in Brazzaville, Congo, “We are moving towards securing nearly one million doses” of the monkeypox vaccine, with 215,000 doses acquired from the Danish company Bavarian Nordic.
Several countries, including Spain (500,000 doses), France, and Germany (100,000 doses), have pledged to send vaccines to African nations.
Kaseya added, “We are telling Bavarian Nordic that we need to transfer technology to African manufacturers… and we believe that the monkeypox vaccine will be produced in Africa very soon.”
He explained that regarding confirmed cases, “we don’t talk about them much because there are countries with a testing rate below 30% and countries facing several challenges in terms of quality and logistics.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) recorded 5,281 confirmed cases as of August 25, 2024, on the continent, with 60% of suspected cases confirmed after testing.
The WHO estimates that $135 million will be needed to finance the international response to monkeypox over the next six months and has launched an appeal to raise $87.4 million to support its activities against the virus.
The reemergence of monkeypox in Africa, particularly the new variant (1b), prompted the WHO to declare the highest level of global alert on August 14, following its spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and 12 other countries, including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.
Monkeypox is an infectious disease caused by a virus transmitted to humans from infected animals but can also spread between humans through close physical contact. It causes fever, muscle aches, and a rash with sores.
