The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Friday, September 13, 2024, that it has approved the first vaccine for use against mpox in adults, marking a significant milestone in the fight against the disease in Africa and beyond.
The pre-qualification of the vaccine by Bavarian Nordic A/S enables organizations like GAVI the Vaccine Alliance and UNICEF to purchase it. However, due to the limited supply from only one manufacturer, availability may be a concern.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed that the approval of the mpox vaccine is a crucial advancement in combating the disease, particularly in the current African outbreaks and future scenarios.
Emphasizing the importance of immediate action, the U.N. health agency chief urged for the rapid expansion of procurement, donations, and distribution to prioritize the vaccine deployment in areas where it is most needed, in addition to other response strategies.
According to the WHO authorization, the vaccine is recommended for individuals aged 18 and above in a two-dose regimen. While the vaccine is not currently approved for individuals under 18, it may be used in younger populations in outbreak situations where the benefits outweigh the risks.
Recent reports from the Africa Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention indicated that a significant portion of mpox cases in Congo, the country most affected by the disease, are in children under 15 years old, who also account for a large percentage of fatalities.
Just a week after the launch of a continental response plan by the Africa CDC and WHO, 107 new deaths and 3,160 new cases were reported in the past week, underlining the urgent need for intervention.
Mpox, a virus related to smallpox, manifests with symptoms like fever, chills, and body aches, with severe cases leading to skin lesions on various body parts.
Published – September 13, 2024 04:41 pm IST
