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Public Health
  • News announcement
  • 19 November 2024
  • Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority
  • 2 min read

Commission leads delivery of over 122,000 mpox vaccines to aid outbreak response in the Democratic Republic of Congo

The European Commission is spearheading the coordination and financing of a significant vaccine delivery to support the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in its fight against the mpox outbreak. This initiative includes 122, 300 doses donated by Belgium, Germany, and Portugal, donated in a Team Europe approach, which are being sent to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). The first shipment—100, 000 doses donated by Germany—arrived in the DRC on November 14.

This donation is part of a broader commitment by the EU and its Member States to provide more than 580, 000 mpox vaccines to Africa CDC, with over 205, 000 doses donated by the European Commission already delivered. Additional shipments from other EU Member States will follow in the coming weeks. Through a partnership with the United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Commission ensures the transport of these vaccines, enabling rapid response in affected regions.

The EU has been active since the first surge of the virus. Since July 2024, in addition to the delivery of vaccines, the Commission has provided EUR 1.5 million in humanitarian funding to support the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Uganda to respond to the mpox outbreak.  To strengthen on-the-ground response, the EU has also deployed four epidemiologists from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) to the DRC, the current epicentre of mpox in the region. This deployment highlights the EU’s continued commitment to addressing public health crises through expertise and tangible support. Additional support to the African continent includes a EUR 9.4 million pledged action to support the Africa CDC’s “Partnership to Accelerate Mpox Testing and Sequencing in Africa” project, expected to significantly boost diagnostics and sequencing efforts. This will also aid the development and clinical validation of locally manufactured tests, ensuring easier deployed diagnostic tools now and in the future. 

Background

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the surge of mpox cases in the DRC and multiple African nations a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on August 14, 2024. This follows an Africa CDC declaration the previous day of a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security. In 2024, mpox cases have been reported in 19 African countries.

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Publication date
19 November 2024
Author
Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority