Germany announced on Monday that it would donate 100,000 doses of MPO vaccine to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and other African countries in hopes of bringing the disease outbreak under control.
The donation would almost completely deplete Germany’s military reserve of around 118,000 doses.
Berlin will also provide financial support to this effort, providing funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) and supporting partners in Africa through the Gavi Vaccine Alliance.
Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said Berlin’s aim was to “support in solidarity international efforts to contain the disease on the African continent”.
Hebestreit, noting that these were short-term measures, added that Berlin would also work alongside the African Union (AU) to promote local production of vaccines.
New strain of MPOX is more deadly and more transmissible
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a recent outbreak of mpox in the DRC a global public health emergency this month when cases began appearing outside the country.
The WHO says the disease “can be stopped,” but stresses that it will require a comprehensive and costly global effort.
Last week, France announced it would donate 100,000 doses and the United States will also donate 50,000.
Monkeypox, formerly known as monkey pox, has been around for decades, but a new, more virulent strain is believed to be behind its recent spread.
Deadly and contagious, the Clade 1b strain has killed more than 570 people this year. The disease has spread to the DRC, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. The first European death was recorded in Sweden.
The MPOx virus can spread from animals to humans, but also between humans through close physical contact, most commonly through kissing or sexual contact.
js/wd (AFP, Reuters)
