Spain announced on Tuesday that it will donate 500,000 doses of the mpox vaccine, representing 20% of its reserves, to help address the outbreak in Africa, according to a statement from the Health Ministry.
The country also called on the European Commission to recommend that all EU member states contribute 20% of their vaccine supplies.
“It makes no sense to stockpile vaccines where there is no problem, and now is the time to prove it,” The ministry emphasized.
Spain’s donation will consist of 100,000 vials, enough to administer 500,000 doses.
The World Health Organization has declared mpox a global public health emergency following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which spread to nearby nations, with the new clade Ib variant raising concerns over its transmission rate.
Health Minister Monica Garcia recently stated that Spain has “a very good stock” of vaccines.
Spain has recorded 268 cases of the old strain this year, a significant drop from the 7,500 cases reported during the 2022 global outbreak, with around 40,000 people vaccinated so far.
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