On Tuesday 27 May, the European Commission announced financial support of €9.4 million to speed up testing for Mpox in Africa.
This funding will be managed by a consortium led by the African Centre for Disease Control, in collaboration with the African Society of Laboratory Medicine, until May 2028. It should enable 150,000 diagnostic tests to be acquired and 5,000 virus genomes to be sequenced. The aim is to strengthen local and regional detection and surveillance capabilities.
“Our support is also strengthening EU health security, reducing the risks related to cases importation and cross-border spillovers”, said Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management.
This support is part of the actions carried out by ‘HERA’, the Commission’s internal structure dedicated to health emergencies. It complements the measures already implemented in 2024 and 2025 to counter the ‘Mpox’ epidemic, including the purchase and donation of 200,000 doses of vaccine, as well as the coordination of donations from EU Member States, totalling more than 400,000 doses. (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)