Uganda has received 10,000 doses of the MVA-BN vaccine to aid in the country’s response to the ongoing mpox outbreak. The donation was made by the European Commission through its Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA).
This delivery is part of a larger contribution of over 215,000 doses provided by HERA to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to combat the current outbreak across the African continent. It follows previous deliveries, including 200,000 mpox vaccine doses to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in September and 5,420 doses to Rwanda in October.
In total, the European Commission is coordinating over 605,000 vaccine doses pledged to Africa CDC through the Team Europe approach. In addition to the HERA donation, Team Europe has already delivered 135,500 doses from Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Portugal, with additional doses from other EU member states in progress.
These efforts reflect the Commission and Team Europe’s broader commitment to strengthening preparedness and response capabilities for both current and future health emergencies.
They emphasize a coordinated approach to tackling emerging health threats through close cooperation with affected nations.
Laurent Muschel, Head of HERA, stated, “We made a commitment to address the mpox outbreak in close cooperation with our partners. The 10,000 vaccine doses from HERA will help Uganda tackle this deadly disease. We cannot fight these health threats alone—solidarity between continents is essential.
We will continue working across all fronts with our partners to protect vulnerable populations through Team Europe’s global response.”
On July 24, 2024, the Uganda Virus Research Institute confirmed the first two cases of mpox from six samples collected at Bwera Hospital in Kasese District. On August 14, 2024, the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
Mpox is a self-limiting disease that typically presents with pustules or small boils on the skin.
It is often accompanied by high fever, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, and general body weakness. There is no specific treatment for the virus, and management is symptomatic, depending on the patient’s symptoms.
According to Minister of Health Jane Aceng, mpox is transmitted to humans through contact with infected animals, and human-to-human transmission occurs through direct contact with an infected person.
However, Aceng warned that despite its self-limiting nature, mpox can be fatal in certain cases, particularly among children under five years, pregnant women, and individuals with weakened immune systems. “If robust interventions are not made, the infection could spread rapidly, overwhelming healthcare systems, as we have seen in other regions,” she cautioned.
Since the beginning of the year, more than 17,000 cases of mpox and over 500 deaths have been reported across 13 African countries, including the DRC, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and others, according to the Africa CDC.