Since the outbreak of monkeypox in 2022, more than 2,100 cases have been recorded in 11 African countries and 75 people have died. But the continent is no closer to getting a vaccine for the disease.

"It's just the same as how we were with COVID… It is just history repeating itself. Africa always gets [vaccines] last,” says Dr Phiona Atuhebwe, Regional New Vaccines Introduction Medical Officer, at the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Globally, there are currently a total of 53,027 cases of monkeypox and countries are turning to the Imvanex vaccine, often referred to as JYNNEOS. The FDA approved vaccine is produced by only one company based in Denmark called Bavarian Nordic. According to a spokesperson from the corporation, Bavarian Nordic only has capacity to produce 30-40 million doses of JYNNEOS annually. 

A spokesperson for the company reveals that taking into consideration the two-dose regimen of the vaccine, this supply will only be enough to cover 15-20 million people.

So far Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United States of America, and the European Union have contracted to get large doses of the vaccine but they are yet to see a fraction of their orders - if any at all. Furthermore, it appears that the vast majority of middle-and-low income countries with current outbreaks and deaths have not secured any JYNNEOS vaccine.

Dr. Atuhebwe noted that the WHO is not focusing primarily on vaccination as the main strategy for combating the monkeypox outbreak, but that their focus will be on surveillance and contact tracing. She said: "We push for more access to better tools to ensure that the African population is protected. But we've learned to work within reality.”