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US donates vaccines and $500 million to help Africa respond to monkeypox

TH (synthesis) September 25, 2024 18:00

The vaccine that the US will donate to Africa is Jynneos, produced by the pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic.

Bệnh nhân mắc đậu mùa khỉ được điều trị tại trung tâm y tế ở ngoại ô Bukavu, tỉnh Nam Kivu, Cộng hòa dân chủ Congo. (Ảnh: THX/TTXVN)
A monkeypox patient is treated at a medical center on the outskirts of Bukavu, South Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo.

US President Joe Biden announced on September 24 that the US will donate 1 million doses of monkeypox vaccine (mpox) and at least 500 million USD to African countries to respond to this epidemic.

The announcement was made by the US leader at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, along with a call for countries to join hands to support Africa in repelling the epidemic spreading in the region.

The vaccine that the US is expected to donate to Africa is Jynneos, produced by the pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic, with most of it coming from US reserves.

In a statement the same day, Bavarian Nordic said the company had received a $63 million vaccine order from the US government, with delivery expected in 2026.

Monkeypox was declared a global public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) last August, following a severe outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and several countries in the region.

Monkeypox can be spread through close contact and usually causes mild flu-like symptoms and pus-filled sores on the body. In some cases, the disease can also lead to death.

TH (synthesis)
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US donates vaccines and $500 million to help Africa respond to monkeypox