Global Fund Approves $5 Million in Rwanda Aid to Mpox and Expands Emergency Assistance Across the African Continent – Press Releases

Global Fund Approves $5 Million in Rwanda Aid Against Mpox and Expands Emergency Assistance Across the African Continent

October 16, 2024

– To reply to the spreading mpox epidemic in Africa, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) has approved additional funding for Rwanda and a number of other reinvestments in other affected countries.

For Rwanda, which recently reported the presence of the novel mpox clade 1b virus, the Global Fund has approved a $5.17 million investment from the Covid-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM).

“Rwanda is grateful for the continued support from the Global Fund,” said Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, Minister of Health of Rwanda. “This additional investment of $5.17 million reflects the strong and effective partnership we share in tackling health challenges; will further strengthen our efforts to protect the lives and well-being of our people.”

Additionally, the Global Fund has approved the re-allocation of C19RM funds to the mpox response in the next affected countries: Ghana (USD 1.5 million), Côte d’Ivoire (EUR 1.01 million), Liberia (USD 440,000) and Burundi (USD 140,000 dollars).

This followed the Global Fund’s announcement in September of approving additional support for the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda within the fight against mpox.

“These investments demonstrate the Global Fund’s unwavering commitment, flexibility and ability to respond to urgent public health crises,” said Mark Edington, director of grants management on the Global Fund. “By working closely with our partners, we are not only providing immediate support to save lives, but also strengthening health systems to better respond to future health emergencies.”

The latest funds will support a spread of interventions to support people in affected countries:

• with particular emphasis on strengthening early warning capabilities – including community surveillance – and warning and response systems to detect, monitor and reply to outbreaks of mpox and other diseases.
• increasing case detection to stop the spread of the disease.
• Building networks of local medical examiners and other community actors already involved in HIV, TB and malaria prevention and raising awareness will give people the knowledge they should protect themselves and reduce the stigma related to mpox.
• protecting healthcare employees caring for sick patients, including at community level.
• for emergency response and operations, including support for community engagement in response and donor coordination.
• affecting high-risk children and adults, in addition to displaced and vulnerable populations. Strengthening existing health facilities also helps medical examiners fight other infectious diseases reminiscent of cholera, meningitis and measles.

The epidemiology of mpox continues to evolve in complex ways, with vital implications for prevention, preparedness, and response efforts. Mpox is increasingly related to HIV. HIV increases the danger of disease transmission, illness and death in individuals with weak immune systems and advanced HIV infection. Investing in national mpox efforts helps strengthen their efforts to stop the spread of HIV and vice versa.

More information could be present in the Global Fund technical whitepaper on mpox [ download in English | Français | Português ] .