Gavi Announces Major Mpox Vaccine Boost for Africa: 500,000 Doses Secured

Gavi to Purchase 500,000 Mpox Vaccine Doses for African Nations

“We are committed to working with affected governments and our partners to turn these vaccines into vaccinations as quickly and effectively as possible and over time...”

Mpox Outbreak: Gavi's first response fund supports 500,000 vaccine doses for African countries.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and Bavarian Nordic have teamed up to secure 500,000 doses of the Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic (MVA-BN) mpox vaccine for African countries affected by the outbreak. This advance purchase agreement was announced on September 18, with delivery expected in 2024.

The vaccines will be funded through Gavi's First Response Fund, a new financial mechanism established in June 2024 to rapidly support vaccine purchases during health emergencies. This fund was designed to provide early funding for emergencies like the mpox outbreak, and its activation marks a significant step towards protecting those most at risk.

Key Highlights of the Agreement:

Vaccine Supply: 500,000 doses of MVA-BN mpox vaccine to be supplied to African countries.

Delivery Timeline: Doses expected to be delivered in 2024.

Funding Mechanism: Gavi's First Response Fund to finance the vaccine purchases.

WHO Prequalification: MVA-BN vaccine received prequalification from the World Health Organization on September 13.

Gavi's CEO, Dr. Sania Nishtar, expressed gratitude to the donors who enabled the First Response Fund, emphasizing the organization's commitment to working with affected governments and partners to turn vaccines into vaccinations quickly and effectively. Bavarian Nordic's President and CEO, Paul Chaplin, also welcomed the agreement, highlighting the significance of increasing mpox vaccine availability for African countries.

By the end of week 35 of 2024, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) reported 26,544 cases of mpox across 15 African Union Member States, with 5,732 confirmed cases and 724 deaths. This outbreak has been declared a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security by Africa CDC and a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The WHO prequalified the MVA-BN vaccine on September 13, paving the way for its distribution. Bavarian Nordic, the manufacturer, is ready to supply the vaccines once a supply agreement is signed with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Gavi's partner responsible for delivering these doses.

In response to the outbreak, UNICEF has issued an emergency tender to secure mpox vaccines for the hardest-hit countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has reported over 18,000 suspected cases and 629 deaths this year. The emergency tender aims to secure immediate access to available mpox vaccines and expand production, with agreements for up to 12 million doses possible through 2025.

Key Response Efforts:

Vaccine Distribution: HERA has pledged 215,000 doses of the MVA-BN vaccine to African countries affected by the outbreak.

Donations: Team Europe has committed to donating 351,500 vaccine doses from nine European countries.

Research and Support: The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is working with Africa CDC on epidemiological research in the DRC to improve diagnostics and sequencing capacity.

Dr. Sania Nishtar, Chief Executive Officer of Gavi, remarked: “the First Response Fund was designed in collaboration with Gavi donors and partners specifically to provide rapid early funding for emergencies such as mpox.

“Using it today to fund the first direct transaction for vaccines in support of equitable access and the global response.

“Just over a month since mpox was declared a public health emergency takes us a long way toward our goal of protecting those most at risk.

“We are committed to working with affected governments and our partners to turn these vaccines into vaccinations as quickly and effectively as possible and over time, to build a global vaccine stockpile if sufficient funding is secured for Gavi's work through 2030.

“We thank our donors for enabling us to act rapidly by committing funds to the First Response Fund before an emergency occurred.”