Spain is set to contribute 500,000 doses of the mpox vaccine, representing 20% of its reserves, to aid in the fight against the disease in Africa, according to a statement from the Health Ministry on Tuesday.
The ministry also mentioned that Spain has encouraged the European Commission to recommend that each EU member state donate 20% of their vaccine stock. "There is no justification for hoarding vaccines in areas unaffected by the outbreak, and this is the moment to demonstrate that," the ministry stated. The donation from Spain includes 100,000 vials, sufficient for 500,000 doses.
The World Health Organisation has classified mpox as a global public health emergency, following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that spread to neighboring countries and the emergence of a new variant, clade Ib, which raised concerns about the rate of transmission. Last week, Health Minister Monica Garcia noted that Spain had "a robust supply" of the vaccines. This year, Spain has recorded 268 cases of the original strain, significantly lower than the 7,500 cases reported globally in 2022. Approximately 40,000 individuals have received the vaccine to date.
