African countries to receive mpox vaccine from Germany

 

BERLIN – Germany is donating 100,000 doses of mpox vaccine to African countries affected by the disease from army stocks, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in Berlin on Monday.

In the medium term, Germany, together with European partners, will also support the African Union in setting up local vaccine production, he said.

According to the information provided, the exact method by which the vaccine will reach the affected regions has not yet been finalized.

The German government supports the affected countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, through the World Health Organization (WHO) with money and also brings in expertise from German specialist institutions.

It is already known that a mobile laboratory for detecting the virus will be delivered to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Experts are being trained to recognize the symptoms of the disease and educate the population about preventive measures.

The WHO recently declared the highest level of alarm due to mpox outbreaks in Africa and a new, potentially more dangerous variant.

In addition to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and neighbouring countries are also affected.