Staff Reporter
THE United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced up to an additional 35 million U.S. Dollars (USD) in emergency health aid to enhance the response to clade I monkeypox (mpox) in Africa.
This update was shared by the U.S. Government’s Office of the Spokesperson, which highlighted that this 35 million USD allocation follows the 20 million USD provided by USAID and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in March 2024 to support clade I mpox response efforts in Central and Eastern Africa.
“Since March 2024, USAID and CDC together have provided an additional $20 million USD to support clade I mpox response efforts in Central and Eastern Africa, and on August 20, USAID announced up to an additional $35 million in emergency health assistance to bolster response efforts, pending Congressional Notification, bringing the proposed total U.S. government financial support for DRC and other affected countries in the region to more than $55 million,” the U.S. Government’s Office of the Spokesperson said in a statement.
The Spokesperson further mentioned that USAID has donated 50,000 doses of the FDA-approved JYNNEOS vaccine to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), along with financial support for the vaccine rollout. The Spokesperson also highlighted that the U.S. is collaborating with other countries with vaccine stockpiles, the World Health Organisation (WHO), and international partners to encourage further donations to support vaccine efforts and tackle challenges in vaccine distribution.
“This includes evaluating vaccine demand, supporting country engagement on regulatory pathways, planning vaccine implementation, and providing technical assistance to deliver the vaccines,” the U.S.’ Government’s Spokesperson explained.
According to the U.S Spokesperson, the U.S. Government is also expanding its staff to aid the mpox response, with over 200 personnel, including epidemiologists, laboratorians, and risk communication experts, deployed to support response efforts in the U.S. and Africa.
“The United States government support has focused on a range of critical public health interventions aimed at limiting transmission and reducing mpox morbidity and mortality. These interventions include surveillance with deployment of additional local field epidemiologists, risk communication and community engagement, laboratory supplies and diagnostics, infection prevention and control, clinical services, and vaccine planning,” the U.S.’ Government’s Spokesperson added.
