By The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Friday that partners like Gavi and UNICEF can begin purchasing mpox vaccines before they receive official WHO approval. This decision is aimed at accelerating vaccine distribution in Africa, where the outbreak of the virus is worsening.
Normally, organizations like Gavi, which supports lower-income countries in purchasing vaccines, wait for WHO approval before making any purchases. However, in this case, the rules have been relaxed to expedite the process, as WHO approval is expected in the coming weeks.
Vaccines from Denmark’s Bavarian Nordic and Japan’s KM Biologics are already approved by global regulators, including those in the United States and Japan, and have been widely used for mpox since 2022. Approximately 1.2 million people in the United States have received Bavarian Nordic’s vaccine.
The WHO is expected to issue an emergency license for these vaccines in September, further aiding the global fight against the virus.
