By Michael Gwarisa
The Director-General of the Africa Centre for Disease Control (Africa CDC), Dr. Jean Kaseya, told a media briefing that local production of the Mpox vaccine on the continent will commence this year, although he did not provide specific timelines.
In 2024, Africa CDC partnered with Bavarian Nordic to enhance vaccine manufacturing capabilities within Africa. The partnership aims to strengthen health security across the continent.
We have the outcome; we have now started discussions with the successful bidders,” said Dr. Kaseya. “At the moment, we are finalizing some technical issues. As we speak, my team, the Bavarian Nordic team, and African manufacturers are meeting to finalize these few technical issues so that Africa can start manufacturing vaccines in 2025.”
He added that the bidding and selection process for manufacturers was highly competitive, but capable bidders have since been identified to undertake the ambitious project.
“From the very first day, we said local manufacturing is our key priority in Africa. I wish I could tell you it will start next month, but I will not say that because we are dealing with a serious issue that may take a few additional weeks. However, be assured that we have clear commitments and agreements in place,” he said.
To date, a total of eight countries have received vaccines, and five countries are currently vaccinating. Over 544,000 people have been vaccinated. Twelve countries have granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the MVA-BN vaccine. Uganda has received more than 62,000 additional doses, and shipment arrangements for Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Nigeria, and South Africa are already underway.
He also noted high vaccine acceptance within communities, with more than 525,000 people in the DRC having received at least one dose. Children aged 1–17 years account for 39% of the total vaccinated population, while vaccination coverage in Kinshasa stands at 70% of the targeted population.
According to Africa CDC data, 30,041 Mpox cases have been reported in 2025, of which 7,049 were confirmed, with 306 deaths among suspected cases and 44 deaths among confirmed cases across 16 countries. Sixteen out of 23 affected countries remain in the active phase of the outbreak, while seven are in the control phase.
“Suspected cases have plateaued over the last seven weeks. Confirmed cases are decreasing due to low testing coverage. High death rates among confirmed cases are mainly from Uganda,” added Dr. Kaseya.
