Africa’s leading public health agency has urged the incoming Trump administration to honor the commitments made by President Biden to support Africa’s fight against mpox. This appeal follows uncertainty over U.S. support as the leadership change takes shape.
In September, President Joe Biden pledged $500 million and one million vaccine doses to Africa’s mpox response, a vital boost to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in tackling the virus’s spread on the continent.
But with the transition of power, the Africa CDC expressed concern that funding and vaccine supplies may fall short, echoing a pattern where previous donor promises have lagged behind the urgency of the crisis. Mpox cases have continued to rise in Africa, compounding the need for quick action and robust international support.
Africa CDC Director John Kaseya stressed the importance of honoring these commitments, noting that Africa’s trust in U.S. health support hangs in the balance. He said Africa CDC would actively seek dialogue with U.S. officials to ensure continuity in health partnerships.
“As we start to discuss with some of the officials, we’ll continue to engage them to fulfill their commitment,” Kaseya said. “If they don’t, the mistrust that we have today in Africa will lead to a major issue between the U.S. and the continent.”
Recently, Trump indicated he might appoint vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to oversee U.S. health policy, a move that has drawn criticism from public health advocates. Meanwhile, Kaseya voiced readiness to negotiate directly with U.S. officials to advance Africa’s health priorities, emphasizing the critical need for unity in addressing shared global health threats.