Unicef announced on Saturday, August 31 that it had launched “an emergency call for tenders” in order to obtain vaccines against MPOX to help the most affected countries. “Depending on demand, the production capacity of manufacturers and financing, agreements covering a maximum of twelve million doses in 2025 may be reached.”Unicef said in a press release, released together with the World Health Organization, the Gavi Vaccine Alliance and the Africa CDC (African Center for Disease Control and Prevention). This “The emergency tender is designed to ensure immediate access to available mpox vaccines, as well as to increase production”specifies the press release.
Under this call for tenders, UNICEF wishes to establish supply agreements that will enable it to purchase and distribute vaccines. “without delay, once countries and partners have secured funding, confirmed needs and readiness, and regulatory requirements for vaccine acceptance have been established”.
The resurgence of mpox in Africa, affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other countries on the continent (notably Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda), and the emergence of a new variant (1b) prompted the WHO to activate its highest level of global health alert on 14 August.
More than 200 dead in the Democratic Republic of Congo
More than 18,000 suspected cases of mpox have been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo this year, including 629 deaths, “which is the epicenter of the crisis”According to the press release, which specifies that “Four out of five deaths affect children”There are two large families, called “clades”of the virus. Clade 1 is present mainly in Central Africa, in the Congo Basin. Clade 2 circulates mainly in West Africa. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, two subgroups of mpox circulate: clade 1a, in the west of the country, and clade 1b, in the east.
The WHO recommends the use of the MVA-BN vaccine, produced by the Danish pharmaceutical laboratory Bavarian Nordic, or LC16, from the Japanese company KM Biologics, or the ACAM2000 vaccine, manufactured in the United States, when the first two are not available. MVA-BN and LC16 have not yet obtained “prequalification” The WHO’s comprehensive review, a long and complex process, the organization launched an emergency review.
“WHO is currently reviewing the information submitted by manufacturers on 23 August and is expected to complete its review for emergency use listing by mid-September.”the press release states.
