The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it has given its initial authorization for the use of a vaccine against mpox in adults. This move is considered significant in the battle against the disease in Africa. The vaccine, developed by Bavarian Nordic A/S, has been approved, enabling entities like the vaccines alliance Gavi and UNICEF to procure it. Nonetheless, there is a limitation in supplies as there is only one manufacturer for the vaccine.
Director-General of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, emphasized the importance of this milestone in combating mpox, especially in current outbreaks in Africa and future scenarios. It was stressed that there is an urgent need to scale up procurement, donations, and distribution of the vaccine to reach areas where it is most needed, in addition to implementing other response strategies.
The vaccine, as per the WHO authorization, can be given to individuals aged 18 and above in two doses. While the vaccine is not presently authorized for those under 18 years old, it could be utilized in infants, children, and teenagers in outbreak situations where the advantages of vaccination surpass the potential risks.
The mpox vaccine from Bavarian Nordic had already been granted authorization by several affluent countries in Europe and North America during the global mpox outbreak in 2022. While millions of doses administered to adults exhibited a slowdown in the spread of the virus, there is limited information on its efficacy in children.
Statistics from the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that nearly 70% of mpox cases in Congo, the country most impacted by the disease, were among children under 15 years old, who also accounted for 85% of fatalities. WHO documented that more than 103,000 mpox cases have been confirmed in over 120 countries since the outbreak commenced two years ago. As of the latest count by Sunday, 723 individuals in over a dozen African countries have succumbed to the disease.
African health experts have estimated a requirement of approximately 10 million vaccines to halt the ongoing outbreaks on the continent. By last week, Congo, the nation most severely affected, had only received roughly 250,000 doses. Recent data from the Africa CDC indicated 107 new deaths and 3,160 new cases in the past week, following the launch of a continental response plan in conjunction with WHO.
Mpox is related to the smallpox virus family but usually causes less severe symptoms such as fever, chills, and body aches. Severe cases of mpox can result in lesions appearing on the face, hands, chest, and genitals.