By Gilbert Akampa Kakurugu,
HEALTH
As the African continent grapples with a surge in mpox cases, a beacon of hope has emerged in the form of a significant vaccine allocation. The Access and Allocation Mechanism (AAM) has allocated an initial 899,000 vaccine doses to nine African countries hardest hit by the current mpox outbreak. This collaborative effort, involving international and regional health organizations, aims to ensure that these limited doses are used effectively and fairly to control the outbreaks.
The AAM, comprising the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization (WHO), approved the allocation based on recommendations from the independent Technical Review Committee of the Continental Incident Management Support Team for mpox. These decisions were informed by country readiness and epidemiological data, ensuring a strategic and impactful distribution.
The nine countries set to receive the vaccines include the Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda. Notably, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the epicentre of the outbreak, will receive the largest share—85% of the allocation. This decision is rooted in the country’s dire situation, as it reports four out of every five laboratory-confirmed mpox cases in Africa this year.
According to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus the Director General of Health (WHO), The vaccine doses are being provided by a coalition of global partners, including Canada, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the European Union, and the United States of America. This international response underscores the global commitment to supporting Africa in its fight against mpox.
“The outbreak, particularly the surge of the viral strain clade Ib in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighbouring countries, was declared a public health emergency of international concern by WHO and a public health emergency of continental security by Africa CDC in mid-August. This year alone, 19 countries in Africa have reported mpox cases, many of them newly affected by the viral disease” revealed Tedros.
