Vaccine doses allocated for nine African countries hardest hit by mpox

The initial 899,000 vaccine doses have been allocated to nine countries across Africa that have been hard hit by the current MPox surge. , Photo Credit: Dado Ruvik

The initial 899,000 vaccine doses have been allocated for nine countries in Africa, which are currently worst affected. mpox surgeWHO and other health organizations said on Wednesday.

WHO declared Mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years in August after a new strain of the virus, called clade IB, emerged. Spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighboring countries.

Global Mpox infection: symptoms, treatment and outbreak status Explained

In September, after facing criticism for moving too slowly on vaccines, the World Health Organization approved Bavarian Nordic’s vaccine for mumps and said it would consider the vaccine made by Japan’s KM Biologics as a potential vaccine option. Gaye is considering the LC16.

WHO also set up a plan to help bring Mpox vaccines, tests and treatments to the most vulnerable people in the world’s poorest countries, similar to efforts made during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The global health agency said on Wednesday that the newly allocated vaccines will go to the Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.

WHO said the largest number of doses – 85% of the allocated vaccines – would go to the Democratic Republic of Congo, the worst-hit country.

The allocated vaccines are from European countries, the United States, Canada and Gavi, a public-private alliance that co-funds vaccine procurement for low-income countries.

There have been more than 46,000 confirmed and suspected cases of mumps in Africa this year, and the viral disease has caused more than 1,000 deaths on the continent, according to the latest WHO data. (Reporting by Christy Santosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shaunak Dasgupta)