US to Donate 1 Million Mpox Vaccine Doses to Combat Outbreak in Africa, Reports Reuters

By Trevor Hunnicutt and Julie Steenhuysen

WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden announced a commitment to donate 1 million doses of mpox vaccine along with at least $500 million in financial support to African nations to aid in their response to the outbreak.

Delivering the announcement at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Biden urged other nations to take similar actions, reinforcing prior reports on the matter. "We must now move quickly to face mpox," he stated.

The World Health Organization had declared mpox a global public health emergency in August for the second time in two years, following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has since spread to neighboring regions and even as far as India, prompting concern.

A U.S. official remarked that it would not be surprising to see cases in the United States as well, highlighting potential challenges posed by recent cuts to pandemic support from Congress that could hinder domestic responses. "We’re really squeezing right now to be able to respond effectively in this moment. Anticipating additional cuts in the future will only complicate our ability to respond robustly to such outbreaks," the official noted.

Mpox generally spreads through close contact. While often mild, it can be fatal in rare instances, manifesting symptoms similar to the flu and resulting in pus-filled sores on the body.

The outbreak in Congo originated with an endemic strain known as clade I. However, a new variant, clade Ib, has emerged that appears to be more easily transmitted through routine close contact, including during sexual activity.

Wealthy nations possess several hundred million doses of vaccines that could combat mpox outbreaks in Africa, yet the number of donated vaccines is significantly insufficient, as indicated by various public statements and estimates from non-governmental organizations.

The expectation is that the U.S. will donate doses of the Bavarian Nordic vaccine, which is known as Jynneos in the United States, and that many of these will be sourced from a U.S. stockpile. The U.S. administration anticipates that Gavi, a public-private partnership that co-finances vaccine procurements for low-income countries, will facilitate the distribution of the donated vaccines. An official remarked, "We feel strongly that Gavi is the multilateral institution best positioned to procure and equitably distribute vaccines."

Recently, Gavi announced plans to purchase 500,000 doses of the Bavarian Nordic vaccine, marking its initial acquisition to help address the outbreak.

Additionally, the Biden administration is advocating for increased manufacturing of vaccines in low- and middle-income nations and is collaborating with Brazil to explore how the Group of 20 can support the mpox response.

Currently, there is no manufacturer in Africa capable of producing the complex drug substance required for the vaccine, according to a U.S. official.

"Most significant is Biden’s public commitment to enhancing manufacturing capacity in lower-income countries to enable them to produce their own vaccines," stated Lawrence Gostin, a global health law expert at Georgetown University. He emphasized that achieving this goal will necessitate Biden pressing pharmaceutical companies to share their technologies.