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The European Commission has asked EU member countries to indicate whether they will donate mpox vaccines to Africa — and how many — by the end of August.
EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides wrote to health ministers Thursday in an open letter published on X, where she said the Commission was counting on EU countries to support Africa in managing the virus.
The World Health Organization declared a new global health emergency on Aug. 14, following a fast-spreading and deadly outbreak of mpox in Africa, which has seen more than 18,000 cases and 541 deaths. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said it needs 10 million vaccines to control the outbreak.
During the last global mpox outbreak in 2022, the European Commission contracted Danish manufacturer Bavarian Nordic to supply more than 2 million doses of mpox vaccines over two years, and distributed all the doses it bought to EU countries. Some still have hefty stockpiles left over and it’s up to governments whether they donate them or not.
However, the Commission now wants its Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) to coordinate donations from countries’ stockpiles.
“European donations will have more immediate impact if they are coordinated and channelled with the tried and tested Team Europe approach, as was successfully done during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Kyriakides wrote.
“This is why my services have reached out to your HERA Board Representatives to enquire about your intention to donate mpox vaccines and therapeutics and the volumes available for donation with a deadline before the end of August,” she said in the letter.
France has already pledged 100,000 vaccines to Africa, to be donated via the EU. Earlier this month, HERA separately agreed to donate 215,000 mpox vaccines to Africa CDC, 175,000 of which were procured by the agency and 40,000 donated by the manufacturer.
Countries can still also procure and donate doses secured under HERA’s 2022 deal with Bavarian Nordic, Kyriakides told ministers.
