Ukraine: Commission donates Mpox vaccines to protect vulnerable populations

The Commission's Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) has donated 10,000 vials of Bavarian Nordic's Mpox vaccine to Ukraine.

The Commission and Ukraine signed an agreement associating Ukraine to the EU4Health programme in July 2022. Ukraine is therefore eligible to receive support from HERA for the second round of Mpox donations, joining 27 other recipient countries. The Commission remains focused on preventing Mpox from becoming endemic in Europe, as outlined last November in a joint statement by Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, and WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Kluge.

Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, said: “Every day for one year, Russia's brutal war in Ukraine has continued to destroy hospitals and medical institutions, putting people at risk and depriving patients of treatment. Health must never be a target of war. We have been working hand in hand to deliver crucial, life-saving treatment to almost 2,000 Ukrainian patients evacuated to the EU and EEA and support with mental health and psychological aid. Thanks to our strengthened health cooperation with Ukraine, we can provide further support through funding from EU4Health, including today a donation of 10,000 vials of Mpox vaccines. The Commission's support to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people remains unwavering.”

Minister of Health of Ukraine, Viktor Liashko, said: “Ukraine joins the global strategy to prevent the spread of Mpox. The Ministry of Health continues to protect people from vaccine-preventable diseases. This delivery of the vaccine aims to protect healthcare workers and vulnerable populations. I am grateful to our partners from the European Union for their continued support of Ukraine's healthcare system.”

With the agreement associating Ukraine to EU4Health Programme, the Ukrainian health authorities and wider health community are able to fully benefit from the funding opportunities under the programme, on equal terms as their counterparts from EU Members States, Norway, and Iceland. The EU4Health programme is addressing immediate combat-related damage to health and health systems and financing Ukrainian public and private projects helping with Ukraine's post-war reconstruction.