A global initiative to establish a permanent stockpile of monkeypox vaccines was launched on Wednesday, August 27th, 2026, creating a long-term mechanism to ensure countries can access vaccines quickly when responding to outbreaks.
The initiative is funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and will be coordinated by the International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision, whose partners include the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
The stockpile is expected to begin operations later in September 2026 and will be available to all countries, regardless of income level. Its aim is to prevent the delays and inequalities seen in earlier mpox emergencies, when lower-income countries struggled to secure doses.
The move is particularly significant for Africa, which accounts for about two-thirds of reported monkeypox cases globally. Between January 1st, 2022, and July 31st, 2026, 145 countries and territories reported 190,683 confirmed mpox cases and 529 deaths, with the majority of infections in the WHO African Region.
During previous outbreaks, many African countries faced long waits for vaccines and other medical supplies. The new stockpile is designed to ensure faster and more equitable access to doses for outbreak response, especially for high-risk groups and hard-hit communities.
The initiative builds on the Access and Allocation Mechanism established in 2024 during the last mpox Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Under the new system:
- Countries can request vaccines from the global stockpile when an outbreak is detected.
- Allocation will be coordinated by the ICG to ensure doses go where they are most needed.
WHO and its partners describe the stockpile as a key step toward more equitable global health security. By guaranteeing a shared source of mpox vaccines, the initiative seeks to protect vulnerable populations and reduce the risk of outbreaks spiralling into larger emergencies.
For African health systems, the stockpile offers a new tool to strengthen surveillance, speed up response and limit transmission. Its success will depend on effective coordination, timely requests from countries and sustained funding to maintain the reserve.
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