The first batch of vaccines for this virus, donated by the US to combat this pandemic, will arrive and be available to the public in various parts of Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared this outbreak a global health emergency on 14 August 2024.
This has spurred the various African government bodies to obtain more mpox vaccines to ensure they can be obtained for the population.
Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, states the importance of getting ahead of this disease before it creates further havoc:
“Significant efforts are already underway in close collaboration with communities and governments, with our country teams working on the frontlines to help reinforce measures to curb mpox. With the growing spread of the virus, we’re scaling up further through coordinated international action to support countries bring the outbreaks to an end.”
