Wasted Shots: How U. S. Missed the Mark on Mpox Vaccines for Africa

A big chance to help was lost. Almost 800, 000 doses of mpox vaccine, promised to African nations, are now useless. They expired because they weren't sent in time. This was part of a bigger plan by the Biden team. They wanted to send over 1 million doses to Africa. But, only a small part of that promise was kept. The U. S. , Europe, and Japan together promised 5 million doses to many African countries. But, the U. S. only sent 91, 000 doses so far. And, only 220, 000 doses left have enough time left before they expire. The rest will go to waste in the next six months. This means they can't be sent anymore.Yap Boum, who works with Africa CDC, said vaccines need to be sent at least six months before they expire. This way, they arrive safely and can be used properly. But, this didn't happen. Why did this happen? Some say it's because of big cuts to foreign aid programs. These cuts happened under the Trump administration. They also got rid of USAID, which helps with these aid programs. This made it hard to send the vaccines on time. This is a big problem. Mpox is a serious disease. It's spreading in Africa. These vaccines could have helped stop it. But, because of delays, they can't be used now. This shows how important it is to act fast when helping others.