WHO Calls for Increased Vaccine Production to Combat Mpox Outbreak

The WHO made an urgent call on Friday for an increase in the production of mpox vaccines to combat the spread of a more difficult variant of the virus. Having proclaimed the current upsurge in mpox cases as a global health crisis at the peak level just a couple of days prior, the organization reported a significant rise in Clade 1b incidents in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with cases extending across its borders.

“We do need the manufacturers to really scale up so that we’ve got access to many, many more vaccines,” Margaret Harris, a spokesperson for WHO, informed the media.

The organization is appealing to countries holding reserves of mpox vaccines to extend them to nations grappling with outbreaks. To date, two vaccines, MVA-BN by Bavarian Nordic from Denmark and LC16 from Japan, have been deployed against mpox.

Regarding stock and production capacities, Harris disclosed that 500,000 doses of MVA-BN were currently available. She added that an additional sum of 2.4 million doses could swiftly be manufactured given buyer commitment, with the potential for another 10 million doses by 2025 pending solid purchase orders. On the other hand, LC16 remains a non-commercial vaccine produced under the auspices of the Japanese government, with significant reserves already in place. The WHO aims to facilitate the donation of these reserves by working closely with Tokyo.

The Doctors Without Borders NGO has called on countries with surplus vaccine doses to donate them to African nations in need. It has implored Bavarian Nordic to reduce the cost of MVA-BN, which remains unaffordable for many affected regions. Additionally, the IFRC reports facing enormous challenges in managing the mpox crisis, citing a dire shortage of vaccines, treatments, and tests across Africa, with the current assistance being insufficient.

Following the outbreak of two distinct Clade 1 strains in the DRC, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s Director, highlighted the complexity of the situation. He stressed the need for a multifaceted, thorough, and coordinated global response to address each outbreak and regain control effectively.

“It’s a complex picture, and responding to each of these outbreaks and bringing them under control will require a complex, comprehensive, and coordinated international response,” Tedros underscored, emphasizing the intricacies involved in tackling the situation.