(GENEVA) – The Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) and the Bavarian Nordic Laboratory, which produces the smallpox vaccine, signed an agreement on Wednesday guaranteeing the supply of 500,000 doses of the vaccine in 2024 to African countries hit by the epidemic.
The MVA-BN vaccine received WHO prequalification on September 13, and the Northern Bavarian region will be ready to supply vaccines pending the signing of a supply agreement with UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), a Gavi partner, which will provide these doses,” a joint press release confirms.
Separately, the Global Fund, a global public-private partnership to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, among other things, announced $9.5 million for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the epicenter of the current smallpox epidemic.
The funds are supposed to help the DRC authorities implement their “emergency response” in the most affected areas of the country.
The Democratic Republic of Congo had nearly 22,000 cases as of the end of August and more than 700 deaths have been recorded since January, according to local authorities.
Elsewhere, smallpox was present in 14 countries by late August, including Burundi, Congo-Brazzaville and the Central African Republic, according to the Africa CDC, the Africa Center for Disease Control.
