On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced its first prequalification of an mpox vaccine, a critical step anticipated to accelerate vaccine access amidst the ongoing epidemic in Africa.
The announcement coincided with the arrival of the initial MVA-BN vaccine doses in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the epicenter of the outbreak.
“This first prequalification of a vaccine against mpox is an important advancement in our fight against the disease, both in the current African outbreaks and for future scenarios,” stated WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
He emphasized the need for urgent scaling up of vaccine procurement, donations, and distribution to ensure equitable access. “We must prevent infections, halt transmission, and save lives,” he added.
WHO’s prequalification process assesses the quality, safety, and efficacy of medical products such as vaccines, facilitating procurement by the United Nations and other international bodies. It also helps lower-income countries expedite procurement approvals without conducting their own evaluations.
Yukiko Nakatani, WHO’s assistant chief in charge of access to medicines and health products, noted that the prequalification of the MVA-BN vaccine will expedite its procurement by governments and international agencies battling the current emergency.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is caused by a virus transmitted from infected animals to humans, and can also spread between humans through close physical contact. It results in symptoms like fever, muscle aches, and large skin lesions, and can be fatal in some cases.
The WHO declared an international emergency over mpox last month due to the surge in cases, particularly of the Clade 1b strain in the DRC, which has also spread to neighboring countries.
Since January, the DRC has reported nearly 22,000 cases and 716 deaths linked to the virus.
As of now, around 200,000 vaccine doses have been sent to the DRC by the European Union, with an additional 50,000 doses from the United States.