New global mpox vaccine stockpile will be open to every country during outbreaks
A global mpox vaccine stockpile is scheduled to begin operations later in September, creating a standing mechanism that every country can request during an outbreak.
The initiative was launched on August 27 after approval by the Gavi Board in 2025. Gavi will fund it, while the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision will coordinate allocation with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Why a permanent mechanism was created
The partners previously used an ad hoc access-and-allocation mechanism during the 2024 global emergency. A standing stockpile is meant to shorten negotiations and target supplies according to outbreak risk rather than purchasing power alone.
WHO says 145 countries and territories reported 190,683 confirmed mpox cases and 529 deaths from January 2022 through July 2026. About two-thirds of the reported cases were in Africa.
What the stockpile can and cannot do
Vaccination can protect people at high risk, reduce severe disease and help interrupt transmission. Mpox spreads mainly through close physical contact, including sexual contact, while animal-to-human transmission continues in parts of Africa. Children and people with suppressed immune systems can face greater danger.
A stockpile does not automatically solve delivery. Countries still need surveillance, laboratory confirmation, community engagement, cold-chain capacity and staff able to reach affected populations without stigma. The announcement does not specify that every request will receive unlimited doses.
Source: joint WHO, Gavi, UNICEF, MSF and IFRC release.
Mpox vaccination campaign in Kenya. Photo: WHO / Ardo Umar Farah.
