WHO approves first Mpox vaccine, increase efforts to curb epidemic in Africa

By Michael Boluwatife

The World Health Organization (WHO) has granted its first-ever approval for a mpox vaccine, known as MVA-BN, specifically targeting the outbreak in Africa. 

The announcement made on Friday will increase the availability of vaccines and help fight the current epidemic, especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the outbreak is most severe.

The DRC has reported nearly 22,000 cases and 716 deaths since January.

The approval was praised by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as a crucial step forward in the battle against mpox. He emphasized the immediate requirement for more vaccine procurement, distribution, and fair access to control the virus's transmission.

The vaccine's prequalification will facilitate its acquisition by governments and international organizations, accelerating efforts to address the emergency.

The DRC has already received around 200,000 vaccine doses from the European Union and 50,000 doses from the United States to support its response to the outbreak.

“The WHO prequalification of the MVA-BN vaccine will help accelerate ongoing procurement of the mpox vaccines by governments and international agencies… on the frontlines of the ongoing emergency in Africa and beyond,” said Yukiko Nakatani, WHO’s assistant chief in charge of access to medicines and health products.