A shipment of 200,000 doses of mpox vaccine, donated by Canada and facilitated by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has arrived in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The vaccines have been distributed per the Access and Allocation Mechanism (AAM) for mpox, established by Gavi, the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and other partners.
Commenting on the news, Dr Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, said: “We appreciate Canada’s generous contribution to the DRC’s mpox response, which comes at a time when the DRC is refining its vaccination strategy to ensure greater reach and impact among affected communities. Gavi is proud to be playing its role in ensuring these additional doses reach the communities that need them most.”
Ahmed Hussein, Canada’s Minister of International Development, said: “Vaccines are a critical part of the global response to the mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighboring countries. Today’s delivery of 200,000 mpox vaccine doses to the DRC builds on Canada’s commitment of $1 million to support WHO’s mpox response in the region. This donation of vaccines will help stop the spread of the virus and get vaccines to those who need them most. Canada will continue to work closely with Gavi and partners of the Access and Allocation Mechanism for mpox, including UNICEF, Africa CDC, and WHO, to curb the mpox outbreak and save lives.”
Samuel Roger Kamba, Minister of Health, Democratic Republic of the Congo, said: “We are very grateful for the provision of 200,000 doses of the mpox vaccine thanks to the partnership between the Government of Canada and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which demonstrates strong international solidarity in the fight against this epidemic. As the epidemic continues, these vaccines will protect vulnerable communities and preserve global health. These doses will be deployed to the most affected locations, prioritising those most at risk, as we scale up our efforts to contain the outbreak.”
In August 2024, mpox was declared both a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by WHO and a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) by Africa CDC. More than 19,800 cases have been confirmed in 21 African countries, and 11 countries outside the African continent have also reported cases – presenting a continuing threat to both lives and our collective health security. Ensuring greater access to mpox vaccines for people at risk of contracting the disease is vital to control the epidemic, particularly in the DRC – which remains the epicenter. These donated doses will therefore play a critical role in the efforts to contain this health emergency.
Global, regional, and national partners – including Gavi – have been collaborating closely on a coordinated response to the mpox emergency. One of how Gavi is supporting the international and regional response to mpox is by enabling access to vaccine supply. In September 2024, a month after the PHEIC was declared, Gavi secured direct access to 500,000 doses of the MVA-BN mpox vaccine, leveraging its newly established First Response Fund – with the first doses delivered in December 2024 to the Central African Republic and Liberia, and most recently Rwanda earlier this month.
In November 2024, Gavi signed agreements to facilitate the donation of mpox vaccines, building on its experience coordinating the donation of nearly 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, Gavi has facilitated the shipment of over 1.2 million donated mpox vaccines to impacted countries.
In addition to facilitating donations and securing direct access to supply, Gavi is also providing additional funding from its First Response Fund to cover in-country vaccine administration and delivery of doses procured or facilitated by the Alliance. Gavi has also provided emergency cash support of US$ 2.7 million to the DRC and US$ 1.5 million to Rwanda, respectively, for the vaccine roll-out.
