The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Friday that mpox vaccines are finally on their way to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The vaccines are set to arrive in the next few days, aiming to combat a new strain of the virus that has been wreaking havoc in the region.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated, “We hope to have the first delivery in the next few days, and then it will build up.” With a sense of urgency, the WHO is moving quickly to ensure these vaccines reach those in need. According to Tim Nguyen, a WHO official, approximately 230,000 mpox vaccine doses are immediately available for dispatch. These vaccines, generously donated by the European Commission and Danish manufacturer Bavarian Nordic, are ready to be shipped out.
It has relaxed its stringent rules, allowing its partners to purchase mpox vaccines even before they receive official approval from the United Nations health agency. This change aims to expedite the delivery of inoculations to Africa, where the virus is spreading rapidly. Currently, the WHO is reviewing emergency license applications for two vaccines from Bavarian Nordic and Japan’s KM Biologics. Tedros indicated that these approvals could be granted within the next two weeks.
Rosamund Lewis, the WHO’s technical lead for mpox, expressed hope that these vaccines, along with other measures, will soon bring the surge in cases under control. Meanwhile, an unnamed mpox diagnostic manufacturer has also shown interest in securing WHO’s emergency use listing for their testing kit, just a day after the process was opened.
The urgency of this response is highlighted by the WHO’s declaration of mpox as a global public health emergency earlier this month, following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has already spread to neighboring countries. So far, Congo has reported over 18,000 suspected mpox cases and 629 deaths this year, while more than 150 cases have also been confirmed in Burundi. The situation is dire, and the world is watching closely as efforts to contain this outbreak unfold.
