Gavi statement on mpox emergency in Africa – Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Geneva, 15 August 2024 Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance continues to be deeply concerned about the escalating mpox emergency on the African continent. We welcome recently announced measures by our partners at the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) which will help create an enabling environment in support of a comprehensive region-led response, and join partners in emphasizing the importance of international coordination following a declaration of a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security by Africa CDC and a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by WHO.

Working in collaboration with countries and partners, Gavi has been closely monitoring the mpox situation since 2022. As a result, considerations related to mpox have helped inform both the design of Gavis new innovative health security mechanisms, aimed at addressing systemic gaps exposed during the COVID-19 vaccine response, as well as Gavis next five-year strategy. When the assessment process for Gavis next five-year Vaccine Investment Strategy (VIS) began in 2023, mpox vaccines were included for consideration. Special sessions of the VIS Steering Committee were convened in Q1 2024 to ensure the approach took into account developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where the outbreak has spread rapidly, primarily impacting children (in terms of both morbidity and mortality), and resulting in a high case fatality ratio.

As a result, in June 2024 the Gavi Board approved the following measures related to mpox:

Gavi has been monitoring the mpox situation daily for the past several weeks, and is currently engaging closely with countries, Africa CDC, WHO, UNICEF, donors, and manufacturers to support the response to mpox. Our actions include:

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Gavi statement on mpox emergency in Africa - Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance