The Commission is coordinating and financing the delivery and transport of 122,300 vaccine doses donated by Belgium, Germany and Portugal to the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in its response to the mpox outbreak. A first shipment of 100,000 doses donated by Germany is set to arrive today, on 14 November, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
This delivery is part of a comprehensive commitment by the EU and its Member States to donate 580,000 mpox vaccines to the Africa CDC, including over 205,000 doses already donated. Further shipments from other EU Member States are planned in the coming weeks. The donated vaccines will be transported by the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on the basis of a partnership with the Commission.
The EU has been active since the first surge of the virus. Since July 2024, in addition to the delivery of vaccines, the Commission has provided €1.5 million in humanitarian funding to support the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Uganda to respond to the mpox outbreak.
In addition, the EU has deployed four epidemiologists from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which is the epicentre of this epidemic in the Africa region.
Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič: “The ongoing mpox emergency is a threat to global health and is putting the capacity of local health systems under strain. I am thankful to the Member States offering support and providing proof of EU solidarity with their donations. The EU is joining efforts to curb the epidemic and remains committed assisting the DRC and all countries affected by this outbreak.”
Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides said: “In a strong European Health Union, a public health emergency requires a fast and coordinated response. In addition to the 215,000 doses donated through Team Europe by HERA – the Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority – almost 350,000 additional doses will be shipped to Africa throughout November. This is EU solidarity in action and a tangible contribution to the global response to tackle this deadly disease.”
