Germany will donate 100,000 doses of the mpox vaccine from its military stockpile to help contain the outbreak across the African continent and provide assistance to affected countries, a government spokesperson announced on Monday.
The German government will also provide the World Health Organization (WHO) with flexible financial resources through various mechanisms to fight the spread of mpox. In addition, it will support its partners in Africa through the GAVI vaccine alliance, the spokesperson added.
Germany currently holds around 117,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine, which were procured in 2022 and are stockpiled by the German military. The government plans to retain a minimum reserve to protect certain groups, such as traveling officials, according to a defence ministry spokesperson. He further noted that a separate decision would be needed for future vaccine reorders.
The World Health Organization has declared mpox a global public health emergency, following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that spread to neighboring nations. A new variant of the virus, clade Ib, has raised concerns about its rapid transmission.
Germany is exploring the fastest way to deliver vaccines to the affected regions, particularly the DRC, Burundi, and other neighboring East African countries, according to a foreign ministry spokesperson.
