The batch was donated by Bavarian Nordic and comes in addition to last week’s shipment of 215,000 doses donated by the European Union to the DRC.

Gavi released $2.9 million in emergency funds to support the deployment of the vaccines as, according to Gavi CEO Sania Nishtar, the priority is to work with partners to ensure that these and other immunogens reach those in need as quickly and effectively as possible.

The DRC is the epicenter of the global Mpox outbreak, with approximately 94 percent of all reported cases and 99 percent of related deaths.

According to the African Union’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, from January 1 through August 31, 2024, 4,799 confirmed cases, 17,801 suspected cases and 610 deaths were reported in that country.

Gavi reported on its website that, in addition to helping support the African response by providing donated doses, it is also in discussions with manufacturers, with a view to procuring them directly, with its First Response Fund activated to provide initial financial support.

It is also working to build up a stockpile of Mpox vaccine, they added.

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