Rich nations have millions of mpox shots as Africa's outbreak spreads; Will they share?
Less than 4 million doses pledged out of needed 18-22 million
New strain has spread to 14 African countries
High vaccine prices, slow regulatory procedures hinder response
By Jennifer Rigby and Julie Steenhuysen
Sept 12 (Reuters) -Rich countries have several hundred million doses of vaccines that could help fight an mpox outbreak in Africa, where donated shots fall far short of what is needed, according to a Reuters tally of public statements, documents and estimates from non-governmental organizations.
The shots have been stockpiled for years by countries such as Japan, the United States and Canada in case smallpox, an eradicated disease that is the more dangerous cousin of mpox, ever makes a comeback. Some of the vaccines were used outside of Africa in 2022 when mpox spread globally.
A small fraction of those doses could help curb what is now the worst mpox outbreak on record in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring countries, disease experts say.
Less than 4 million doses have been pledged for donation out of an estimated 18 million to 22 million that are needed to vaccinate 10 million people in the next six months, depending on the vaccine, Africa's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement.
"It's not a technical question, it's a political one," Maria Van Kerkhove, acting head of pandemic and epidemic prevention at the World Health Organization, told Reuters. She is lobbying for more donations alongside Africa's CDC and other health authorities.
"Vaccines are useless on shelves," Van Kerkhove said. "Why wouldn't we get them to the people who need them right now?"
The current outbreak began in early 2023 in Congo, which accounts for most of the 37,500 infections and 1,451 deaths. It has spread to 14 African countries, according to Africa's CDC. A first inoculation campaign using 265,000 donated shots is due to begin in Congo in early October.
"If we'd had more doses earlier, we could have planned a large-scale campaign and reduced transmission," said Cris Kacita, head of Congo's mpox response.
Health officials are concerned about a new strain, known as clade Ib, which was first identified in Congo and appears to spread more easily by close contact. Children are particularly vulnerable to mpox, as well as people with immune system conditions like HIV. The risk outside of Africa appears low at this time.
Other factors have held back the mpox response, including slow regulatory procedures at WHO and in Congo, high vaccine prices and competing health crises exacerbated by conflict in the country.
Mpox shots alone are not a magic bullet and affected countries also need access to testing and awareness-raising to tackle outbreaks effectively, disease experts say.
But the stark divide on vaccine access shows governments are still not prepared to stamp out viral threats where they begin and before they spread.
"The disinterest in mpox and other viral threats where they emerge is a significant danger to people the world over," said Peter Maybarduk, access to medicines director at the U.S. consumer group Public Citizen.
WHERE ARE THE DOSES?
Three vaccines recommended by the WHO are held in stockpiles worldwide: Bavarian Nordic's BAVA.CO Jynneos (Imvanex or Imvamune outside the United States); KM Biologics' LC16; and Emergent BioSolutions' EBS.N ACAM2000.
They are all being considered for purchase and donation in Africa, said a spokesperson for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a global group that helps lower-income countries buy vaccines. The group has up to $500 million available for the mpox response.
Many wealthy countries declined to say how much vaccine they have, citing national security reasons.
Japan has around 200 million doses of LC16, according to a WHO document from 2022. Unlike rival shots, LC16 can be used for children, although it is not available outside of Japan and requires special needles to administer.
"Children are the main victims of this epidemic. The first emergency is not really being treated," Kacita said, adding that Congo is in discussions for up to 3.5 million LC16 doses from Japan.
A Japanese health official and KM Biologics declined to comment.
Canada may have up to 2 million doses from Bavarian Nordic in its stockpile, said Adam Houston, medical policy and advocacy adviser for Medecins Sans Frontieres Canada, based on previous years’ announcements from the company. This shot was used to curb the 2022 mpox outbreak outside of Africa. This week, the Canadian government said it would donate up to 200,000 doses.
U.S. officials declined to disclose how much vaccine is in its stockpile, but two senior Biden administration officials said it is enough to protect its population.
That includes around 100 million doses of Emergent's vaccine, according to Maybarduk, as well as an unspecified number of Jynneos shots, which experts say have fewer side effects. The U.S. has donated 60,000 Jynneos doses to the current outbreak.
Spain is among the largest confirmed donors, pledging in August 20% of its mpox vaccine stockpile, or 500,000 doses. The country has urged all European Union member states do the same.
The European Commission has a joint procurement contract with Bavarian Nordic to buy vaccines for donations, and has sent 215,000 doses to Congo.
"Some of the vaccines could cost around $150 for a person to be fully vaccinated, a price that is unaffordable to most African countries," a spokesperson for the Africa CDC team in DRC said. "So donated vaccines from countries is all the more important."
Reporting by Jennifer Rigby in London and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Additional reporting by Sonia Rolley, Anna Mehler Paperny in Toronto, Rocky Swift in Tokyo, Christian Kraemer in Berlin, Inti Landauro in Madrid, Maggie Fick in London, Gleb Bryanski, Niklas Pollard in Stockholm, Louise Rasmussen in Copenhagen, Lefteris Papadimas in Athens, Jihoon Lee in Seoul; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Bill Berkrot
تازہ ترين خبريں
دستبرداری: XM Group کے ادارے ہماری آن لائن تجارت کی سہولت تک صرف عملدرآمد کی خدمت اور رسائی مہیا کرتے ہیں، کسی شخص کو ویب سائٹ پر یا اس کے ذریعے دستیاب کانٹینٹ کو دیکھنے اور/یا استعمال کرنے کی اجازت دیتا ہے، اس پر تبدیل یا توسیع کا ارادہ نہیں ہے ، اور نہ ہی یہ تبدیل ہوتا ہے یا اس پر وسعت کریں۔ اس طرح کی رسائی اور استعمال ہمیشہ مشروط ہوتا ہے: (i) شرائط و ضوابط؛ (ii) خطرہ انتباہات؛ اور (iii) مکمل دستبرداری۔ لہذا اس طرح کے مواد کو عام معلومات سے زیادہ کے طور پر فراہم کیا جاتا ہے۔ خاص طور پر، براہ کرم آگاہ رہیں کہ ہماری آن لائن تجارت کی سہولت کے مندرجات نہ تو کوئی درخواست ہے، اور نہ ہی فنانشل مارکیٹ میں کوئی لین دین داخل کرنے کی پیش کش ہے۔ کسی بھی فنانشل مارکیٹ میں تجارت میں آپ کے سرمائے کے لئے ایک خاص سطح کا خطرہ ہوتا ہے۔
ہماری آن لائن تجارتی سہولت پر شائع ہونے والے تمام مٹیریل کا مقصد صرف تعلیمی/معلوماتی مقاصد کے لئے ہے، اور اس میں شامل نہیں ہے — اور نہ ہی اسے فنانشل، سرمایہ کاری ٹیکس یا تجارتی مشورے اور سفارشات؛ یا ہماری تجارتی قیمتوں کا ریکارڈ؛ یا کسی بھی فنانشل انسٹرومنٹ میں لین دین کی پیشکش؛ یا اسکے لئے مانگ؛ یا غیر متنازعہ مالی تشہیرات پر مشتمل سمجھا جانا چاہئے۔
کوئی تھرڈ پارٹی کانٹینٹ، نیز XM کے ذریعہ تیار کردہ کانٹینٹ، جیسے: راۓ، خبریں، تحقیق، تجزیہ، قیمتیں اور دیگر معلومات یا اس ویب سائٹ پر مشتمل تھرڈ پارٹی کے سائٹس کے لنکس کو "جیسے ہے" کی بنیاد پر فراہم کیا جاتا ہے، عام مارکیٹ کی تفسیر کے طور پر، اور سرمایہ کاری کے مشورے کو تشکیل نہ دیں۔ اس حد تک کہ کسی بھی کانٹینٹ کو سرمایہ کاری کی تحقیقات کے طور پر سمجھا جاتا ہے، آپ کو نوٹ کرنا اور قبول کرنا ہوگا کہ یہ کانٹینٹ سرمایہ کاری کی تحقیق کی آزادی کو فروغ دینے کے لئے ڈیزائن کردہ قانونی تقاضوں کے مطابق نہیں ہے اور تیار نہیں کیا گیا ہے، اسی طرح، اس پر غور کیا جائے گا بطور متعلقہ قوانین اور ضوابط کے تحت مارکیٹنگ مواصلات۔ براہ کرم یقینی بنائیں کہ آپ غیر آزاد سرمایہ کاری سے متعلق ہماری اطلاع کو پڑھ اور سمجھ چکے ہیں۔ مذکورہ بالا معلومات کے بارے میں تحقیق اور رسک وارننگ ، جس تک رسائی یہاں حاصل کی جا سکتی ہے۔
