Spain will send 500,000 doses of MPOX vaccines to several African countries

The Spanish government announced on Tuesday that it will send 500,000 doses of vaccines to several countries in Central Africa to combat the MPOX epidemic.

“Spain has informed the European Commission that it will donate 20% of its vaccine stock, that is, 100,000 vials that would be enough to vaccinate with 500,000 doses,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

Faced with the MPOX epidemic, which “has its epicentre in several countries in central Africa”, the government “believes that it is essential to act in this region in order to be able to contain the current situation in a firm manner,” said the statement, which did not specify which countries exactly will benefit.

Spain is calling on its European counterparts to follow its example and “donate 20% of their vaccine stock,” considering “that it makes no sense to hoard vaccines where there is no problem,” the text added.

MPox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral disease that is transmitted from animals to humans but is also transmitted between humans through physical contact. It causes fever, muscle aches and skin lesions.