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Rabat – Gavi, the international organization that runs the Vaccine Alliance, and Bavarian Nordic, the manufacturer of the monkeypox (mpox) vaccine, announced an agreement today to supply 500,000 doses of the vaccine to African countries wrestling with the ongoing 2024 epidemic.
The MVA-BN vaccine, which received prequalification from the World Health Organization (WHO) on September 13, will be supplied by Bavarian Nordic as it awaits a supply agreement with UNICEF, Gavi’s partner responsible for distribution.
“This first prequalification of a vaccine against mpox is a crucial step in our fight against the disease, both in the context of the current outbreaks in Africa and for future prevention,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The WHO has authorized a two-dose mpox vaccine for adults aged 18 and older. Although it is not recommended for individuals under 18, the vaccine can be administered to infants, children, and adolescents in outbreak situations where the advantages surpass the potential risks.
Read Also: WHO Authorizes First Mpox Vaccine to Boost Africa’s Response to Outbreak
Meanwhile, the Global Fund, a public-private partnership addressing diseases like AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, has committed $9.5 million to support the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) — now the epicenter of the mpox outbreak.
These funds will help local authorities respond to the emergency in the regions most affected by the epidemic.
As of late August, the DRC has reported nearly 22,000 cases and over 700 deaths since January, as well as the propagation of the disease to other countries.
On September 12, Morocco’s Ministry of Health confirmed its first case of mpox in Marrakech amid the ongoing global outbreak.
This marks the first reported instance of the disease in Morocco during this resurgence, although the country had identified a few cases of monkeypox in 2022.
