The GAVI Vaccine Alliance has announced the creation of a global stockpile of vaccines against mpox, a disease that has prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global emergency due to an outbreak in Africa.

The measure was announced by the organization, which is known for its work in low-resource countries, following the WHO's announcement and warning about the mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), which has spread to neighboring nations.

The WHO called for public health measures and spoke of an international mpox emergency, formerly known as "monkeypox". The same measure had already been taken in 2022.

Earlier this week, the United Nations (UN) health agency asked manufacturers of mpox vaccines to submit applications for emergency use authorization, which would allow them to be distributed to organizations such as GAVI, which regularly collaborates with the UN, or the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

With these vaccines, GAVI plans to create the mpox vaccine stockpile from 2026, as part of its strategy for the next five years.

In addition, to ensure that this reserve adapts to new vaccination needs, surveillance studies will be carried out on the use and impact of the vaccine on the population once its administration begins.