Canada Donates Up to 200,000 Mpox Vaccine Doses Amid Global Health Crisis

Canada is donating up to 200,000 doses of the mpox vaccine to counter the global health emergency declared by the WHO. The actual number of doses depends on the receiving nations' capacity. Although the specific recipients remain undisclosed, this action addresses vaccine inequity affecting African countries.

Canada has announced a donation of up to 200,000 doses of the mpox vaccine, aiming to mitigate the global health emergency declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) last month. This marks the second time in two years that mpox has been classified as a global health crisis.

The availability of vaccines such as Imvamune for recipient countries will hinge on their storage and administration capabilities, according to a spokesperson for Canada's international development minister. The donation targets the significant inequity that denied African nations access to the vaccine during the 2022 outbreak.

Mpox, which is primarily spread through close contact and occasionally through sexual contact, generally causes mild flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. However, it can be fatal in rare cases. Originating in Congo with clade I, a more easily transmissible new variant, clade Ib, has since spread to neighboring countries, spurring WHO into action.

Canada has not specified delivery details, but is collaborating with global health experts, including GAVI and the WHO, to determine the outbreak's scope and the optimal way to distribute the vaccines. Health Canada has previously been reticent about the exact number of vaccine doses available domestically, citing national security concerns, although estimates suggest a stockpile of over 2 million doses.

(With inputs from agencies.)