Report: US to donate 1m mpox vaccine doses to Africa

United States President Joe Biden will reportedly announce on Tuesday the donation of 1 million mpox vaccine doses in response to the outbreak on the African continent.

According to Reuters, a senior official of the administration said Biden will make the announcement in New York, where he is attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

“It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if there were a case in the United States, either,” the official said.

“We’re really squeezing right now to be able to respond effectively in this moment. And I think anticipating potentially additional cuts in the future will make it more and more difficult for us to have a robust response to these types of outbreaks.”

The official said the US is expected to donate doses of the Bavarian Nordic vaccine known as Jynneos in the country, mostly from a stockpile.

The 1 million doses is in addition to the 60,000 previously donated shots.

The official said the administration expects Gavi to distribute the donated vaccines.

“We feel really strongly that Gavi is the multilateral institution that is best positioned to procure and equitably distribute vaccines,” the official said.

In August, the US government donated 10,000 doses of the mpox vaccine to Nigeria to support response efforts.

The donation was made through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and was received by the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), on behalf of the federal government.