Mpox crisis: Why do African countries struggle to make or buy vaccines?

Mpox crisis: Why do African countries struggle to make or buy vaccines?

12 SEPTEMBER 2024 – After months of delay due to logistics, the first sets of mpox vaccines have finally begun arriving in Democratic Republic of the Congo, donated by Western countries.

The Central African nation is the epicentre of a new Mpox outbreak that led the World Health Organization (WHO) to sound its highest alert level last month. In 2024, more than 20,000 Mpox cases have been reported and more than 500 people have died. The virus is present in 13 African countries, as well as in some European and Asian nations.