Spain will donate 100,000 vials to Africa to vaccinate 500,000 people against monkeypox, representing 20% ​​of its stockpile.

Spain will donate 20 percent of its monkeypox vaccine “stockpiles” to several Central African countries.that is, 100,000 vials, which would allow up to 500,000 people to be immunised, and called on the European Commission to extend the same offer to all member states.

“There is no point in stockpiling vaccines where there is no problem, and now is the time to demonstrate that,” The health ministry stressed in a note that it insisted the most important thing was to act in Central Africa, the epicentre of the current monkeypox outbreak that has led to the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring a second international public health emergency.

It was on that very day, August 14, that the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) announced that it would provide the African continent with more than 215,000 doses the only monkeypox vaccine approved in Europe and the United States.

To contain the current outbreak, about two million vials of vaccination will be needed 10 million dosesreminds of the ministry.

In this context, Spain informed the European Commission that it would donate 20% of its vaccine “stockpile”, i.e. 100,000 vials that would be used to vaccinate 500,000 doses, and asked it to lead a collective commitment that all Member States should contribute equally.

“We must overcome the tendency to face the public health emergency of international concern related to the smallpox virus by hoarding vaccines and withdrawing protection from the countries of Central Africa, where the problem is currently most acute,” emphasized the Minister of State for Health, Javier Padilla, on his account on the social network X.

Padilla thought about it now “An unrivaled opportunity to advance the Pandemic Agreement is opening up” WHO, which was not reached, “supports aspects related to technology transfer and access to products in international emergencies.”

However, he clarified that while vaccine donations are “inevitable”, they are not “sufficient” and are essential. “also lead regulatory commitments and facilitate access to manufacturing and technology” to overcome the MPOX crisis.

“Global health can be achieved through justice or security, so anyone who does not understand that this is fundamental in the context of international solidarity and health justice must do so through their own security,” he decided.

Since January last year, nearly 21,500 smallpox cases and 591 deaths from the disease have been reported in 13 African countries. In Spain, there were notifications until August 19 last year 267 new cases, 98% men aged 6 to 68 years.

A total of 8,111 people have been diagnosed, of whom more than 7,500 were identified in 2022, when the outbreak broke out in countries where smallpox is not endemic.