Gavi Mobilizes $500 Million for African Mpox Vaccine Effort

Gavi, the global vaccine group, has allocated up to $500 million to help countries combat an escalating mpox outbreak in Africa. The funds, part of Gavi's 'First Response' initiative, are intended for health emergencies. The money is from leftover COVID-19 donations and awaits official vaccine requests and approvals.

The global vaccine group Gavi is ready to allocate up to $500 million to aid countries dealing with a growing mpox outbreak in Africa, according to chief executive Sania Nishtar.

Gavi, typically focused on childhood vaccines like measles, has broadened its scope to include pandemic responses, benefiting from its 'First Response' fund established during the COVID-19 crisis. This fund, including residuals from past donations, is now set to be utilized for current health emergencies as declared by the WHO and Africa CDC this week.

"The money for the vaccines is ready to be tapped into," Nishtar stated. However, deployment hinges on official country requests and WHO approvals, following the WHO's recent emergency declaration on mpox.