The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Friday, 23 August that its partners, including Gavi and Unicef, are now allowed to purchase mpox vaccines even before they receive official approval. This change aims to speed up the distribution of vaccines to Africa, where the virus outbreak is worsening.
Usually, organisations like Gavi are permitted to purchase vaccines after the WHO has authorised them. However, in this situation, the rules have been eased to facilitate quicker supply, as the WHO’s approval is expected in a few weeks.
Two vaccines, produced by Denmark’s Bavarian Nordic and Japan’s KM Biologics, have already been approved by various global regulators, including those in the United States and Japan, and have been widely used to combat mpox since 2022.
In the United States alone, around 1.2 million people have received Bavarian Nordic’s vaccine. The WHO is anticipated to grant emergency approval for these vaccines in September.
Understanding Mpox
WHO describes Mpox, also known as monkeypox, as:
• A viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus, part of the Orthopoxvirus genus.
• The virus has two distinct strains: clade I and clade II.
• Typical symptoms of mpox include a skin rash or mucosal lesions that may persist for 2–4 weeks, along with fever, headaches, muscle pain, backaches, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes.
• The virus spreads to humans through direct contact with an infected person, contaminated objects, or infected animals.
• Mpox can be confirmed in the laboratory by PCR testing of skin lesion samples.
• Treatment is primarily supportive, though vaccines and treatments initially developed for smallpox can sometimes be used for mpox.
• During 2022–2023, a global outbreak of mpox occurred, caused by a strain known as clade IIb.
• Prevention of mpox focuses on avoiding contact with infected individuals, and vaccination can help protect those at risk.
