About one million doses of the Mpox vaccine are expected in Africa, the epicenter of a resurgence of this virus, the director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Africa) said today.

“ We are making progress towards securing almost one million doses ” of vaccines against Mpox, said Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the Africa CDC, at a meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa, held in Brazzaville.

Jean Kaseya, who called for technology transfer, said that 215 doses of the vaccine had already been " secured " by the Danish manufacturer Bavarian Nordic.

Several countries, including Spain (500 doses), France and Germany (100 doses each) have already promised to send vaccines to African countries on the front line of the epidemic.

“We are telling Bavarian Nordic that we need a technology transfer to African manufacturers.”

“We believe that the Mpox vaccine will soon be manufactured in Africa.”

Jean Kaseya, director of CDC Africa, also stated.

According to Jean Kaseya, as of August 27, 22.863 suspected cases and 622 deaths linked to Mpox have been reported on the continent.

As for confirmed cases, the Africa CDC prefers to remain mum on the matter, as some countries still have testing rates below 30% and some still face a number of challenges in terms of quality and transportation, he added.

The WHO estimates that $135 million (€121 million) is needed to fund the international response to Mpox over the next six months.

On Tuesday, the WHO launched an appeal for $87,4 million (€78,5 million) to support its own activities to fight the virus.

The resurgence of Mpox in Africa, affecting the DRC and 12 other countries on the continent, including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, and the emergence of a new variant, led the WHO to activate its highest global alert level on August 14.

Formerly known as monkeypox, Mpox is a viral disease that spreads from animals to humans, but is also transmitted between humans, causing fever, muscle aches, and skin lesions.