WHO prequalifies first vaccine against mpox

Geneva, SANA- World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the MVA-BN vaccine as the first vaccine against mpox to be added to its prequalification list.

The WHO reported that “this first prequalification 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 future.”

“The MVA-BN vaccine can be administered in people over 18-years of age as a 2-dose injection given 4 weeks apart. After prior cold storage, the vaccine can be kept at 2–8°C for up to 8 weeks,” the organization said.

“We now need urgent scale up in procurement, donations and rollout to ensure equitable access to vaccines where they are needed most, alongside other public health tools, to prevent infections, stop transmission and save lives.”

Over 120 countries have confirmed more than 103 000 cases of mpox since the onset of the global outbreak in 2022. In 2024 alone, there were 25 237 suspected and confirmed cases and 723 deaths from different outbreaks in 14 countries of the African Region (based on data from 8 September 2024).

Khadega/Shaza Qreima