The World Health Organization (WHO) will distribute about one million doses of the “Imvanex” vaccine to several African countries to help ensure fair and effective access to monkeypox vaccines across the continent, according to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Ghebreyesus said more than 50,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have already received the “Imvanex” vaccine via donations from the United States and the European Commission.
“The vaccine doses are being allocated based on specific public health needs, prioritizing areas where the new variant is spreading rapidly,” the Director said.
The announcement comes amid a staggering 500% rise in monkeypox cases across 19 African countries over the past year.