WHO recommended that a single dose of the shot could be used to stretch supplies but emphasised the need to collect more data on how effective the vaccine might be as a single shot. Collected
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “This first authorisation of a vaccine against mpox is an important step in our fight against the disease, both in the context of the current outbreaks in Africa and in the future."
The approval of the vaccine made on Friday by Bavarian Nordic A/S means that donors like vaccines alliance Gavi and UNICEF can buy it.
But supplies are limited because there’s only a single manufacturer.
WHO also said it was creating an “access and allocation mechanism” to try to fairly distribute mpox tests, treatments and vaccines to the countries that need them most.
Meanwhile, the UN health agency approved the two-dose mpox vaccine for people aged 18 and above, reports AP.
WHO said that while it was not recommending the vaccine for those under 18, the shot may be used in infants, children and adolescents “in outbreak settings where the benefits of vaccination outweigh the potential risks.”
WHO recommended that a single dose of the shot could be used to stretch supplies but emphasised the need to collect more data on how effective the vaccine might be as a single shot.
