Global initiative launches mpox vaccine stockpile to improve outbreak response

Health

GENEVA, Switzerland (NPA) — A global initiative to establish a stockpile of mpox vaccines has been launched to ensure countries have faster and more equitable access to vaccines during outbreaks.

The initiative, launched on August 27, is expected to begin operations later this month.

The global mpox vaccine stockpile was approved by the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in 2025 and will be funded by Gavi and coordinated through the International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision.

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The ICG partners include the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The initiative builds on the Access and Allocation Mechanism introduced during the 2024 mpox Public Health Emergency of International Concern and is designed to provide countries with timely access to vaccines for outbreak response.

Mpox outbreaks continue to be reported globally, with about two-thirds of cases occurring in the African Region.

Between January 1, 2022, and July 31, 2026, a total of 145 countries and territories reported 190,683 confirmed mpox cases and 529 deaths.

Mpox is a viral disease that spreads primarily through close physical contact, while animal-to-human transmission continues to occur in parts of Africa.

The disease can cause severe illness, particularly among children and people with weakened immune systems. Health authorities say vaccination can help protect people at risk, contain outbreaks and reduce severe illness and deaths.

Gavi Chief Executive Officer, Dr Sania Nishtar, said the stockpile was designed to address inequities in access to mpox vaccines experienced during the 2022 outbreak.

She said the initiative would ensure that access to vaccines is based on public health needs rather than a country’s ability to pay.

WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described the launch of the stockpile as an important step towards a more sustainable and equitable approach to mpox outbreak response.

He said the mechanism would enable countries to access vaccines more quickly, helping to save lives and contain outbreaks before they spread further.

UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell, said the initiative would help ensure that vaccines reach children, families and communities most at risk.

The ICG was established in 1997 to coordinate emergency vaccine supplies during major disease outbreaks.

It currently manages global emergency vaccine stockpiles for diseases including cholera, meningitis, yellow fever and Ebola.

The inclusion of mpox in the mechanism follows the ad hoc Access and Allocation Mechanism established by WHO and its partners in 2024.

The new stockpile is expected to provide a longer-term framework for the rapid and equitable deployment of mpox vaccines to countries responding to outbreaks.