Nearly 800,000 U.S.-funded mpox vaccine doses intended for African nations risk expiry in warehouses, 48 Democratic lawmakers warned Wednesday, urging urgent shipment to avoid waste.
Dozens of Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives have called on the State Department to act swiftly, warning that hundreds of thousands of mpox vaccine doses, meant for Africa, could expire unused. In a letter signed by 48 Democrats and led by Representatives Mark Pocan of Wisconsin and Sara Jacobs of California, lawmakers said about 800,000 doses are at risk, with 220,000 still viable if shipped immediately.
"This is a moral, strategic, and public health failure in the making," the letter read.
The U.S. State Department has yet to issue a response.
The vaccines were originally promised to African countries hit hard by the mpox outbreak, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, and Burundi. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern in August 2024, following the spread of a new strain from the DRC.
Mpox, a viral disease that spreads through close contact, causes flu-like symptoms and painful lesions. While usually mild, it can be deadly. The WHO said last month that the crisis remains a global health emergency.
The situation has been further complicated by U.S. President Donald Trump’s sharp cuts to foreign aid. Since beginning his second term six months ago, Trump has downsized international assistance programmes, firing thousands of aid workers and pushing through $8 billion in aid reductions with backing from the Republican-controlled Congress.
Trump argues that the U.S. carries an unfair burden and has called on other nations to contribute more to humanitarian causes.
Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) will meet in Paris on Monday to assess whether the Democrats' gains in the U.S. midterm election...
At least seven people have been killed and more than 125 injured after two passenger trains collided in Egypt’s Giza province, south of Cairo...
A 24-year-old man who killed six people in Poland’s central city of Krakow had advanced military-style shooting skills, according to a s...
Poland has declared two days of national mourning after a gunman opened fire in Kraków's historic main square. Investigators are examining possible far-right influences and the discovery of three bodies at the suspect's home.
Monday marks the second of two days of national mourning in Poland as police bolstered security after six people were killed in a mass shooting in Kraków.
Russian forces launched a ballistic missile attack on Kyiv early on Saturday, 7 November, injuring two people and damaging residential buildings, just three days before U.S.-led peace talks with Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-aligned group towards Riyadh on Sunday (8 November), after loud booms were heard in the Saudi capital. The Aramco building was damaged by falling debris.
New Zealand’s ruling centre-right National Party has taken a narrow lead over the opposition Labour Party in Saturday’s general election, with the country’s current three-party coalition projected to retain power.
Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) will meet in Paris on Monday to assess whether the Democrats' gains in the U.S. midterm elections could influence President Donald Trump's foreign policy, particularly on Ukraine and the Middle East.
At least seven people have been killed and more than 125 injured after two passenger trains collided in Egypt’s Giza province, south of Cairo, on Sunday.
A 24-year-old man who killed six people in Poland’s central city of Krakow had advanced military-style shooting skills, according to a spokesperson for the gun club he attended.
Monday marks the second of two days of national mourning in Poland as police bolstered security after six people were killed in a mass shooting in Kraków.
Clashes between protesters and police erupted in Paris and Marseille on Saturday as demonstrations over rising living costs and declining public services continued for a fourth consecutive weekend across France.
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