Responding to Mpox

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On Aug. 14, 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared mpox (previously called monkeypox) as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) as a result of the increasing rates of infection that are being witnessed in African countries (1). The International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of independent experts had advised WHO on the level of concern about the spread of the virus and the potential for the virus to penetrate other continents.

Two years ago, in July 2022, the multi-country outbreak of mpox was also declared a PHEIC; however, after less than a year, in May 2023, that PHEIC was declared over as a sustained decline in global cases was seen (1). A new virus strain of mpox, clade 1b, has emerged and has been rapidly spreading.

When the first PHEIC was declared for mpox in 2022 for a less deadly strain of the virus, the bio/pharma industry went to bat quickly and utilized experience from the COVID-19 pandemic to work efficiently. One of the main players from the 2022 outbreak, Bavarian Nordic, is proving its worth once again, committing to donate 40,000 doses of its mpox vaccine to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2). “Mpox is spreading at an alarming rate in Africa, calling for further action from the international community,” said Paul Chaplin, president and chief executive officer of Bavarian Nordic, in a press release (2).

The 40,000 vaccines from Bavarian Nordic will form part of a larger donation of 215,000 doses that will be provided by the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (3). However, many more vaccines will be needed, and WHO has triggered the Emergency-Use Listing process for mpox vaccines and started working with countries and vaccine manufacturers on potential donations (1).

“The emergence of a new clade of mpox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo], and the reporting of cases in several neighbouring countries are very worrying,” warned Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO, in his PHEIC declaration announcement (1). “On top of outbreaks of other mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives.”

References

1. WHO. WHO Director-General Declares Mpox Outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Press Release, Aug. 14, 2024.
2. Bavarian Nordic. Bavarian Nordic Receives Order from HERA and Announces Significant Donation of Vaccines in Response to the Mpox Outbreak in Africa. Press Release, Aug. 13, 2024.
3. EC. Mpox: HERA to Donate Over 215,000 Vaccines to Africa CDC Amid Urgent Outbreak. Press Release, Aug. 14, 2024.

About the author

Mike Hennessy Jr is president and CEO of MJH Life Sciences®

Article details

BioPharm International®
Vol. 37, No. 8
September 2024
Page: 6

Citation

When referring to this article, please cite it as Hennessy, M. Responding to Mpox. BioPharm International 2024 37 (8) 6.