INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The World Health Organization said Friday it has granted its first authorization for use of a vaccine against mpox in adults, calling it an
important step toward fighting the disease in Africa.The approval of the vaccine made by Bavarian Nordic A/S means that donors like vaccines
alliance Gavi and UNICEF can buy it
treatments and vaccines to the countries who need them most.The U.N
health agency approved the two-dose mpox vaccine for people aged 18 and above
used to stretch supplies, but emphasized the need to collect more data on how effective the vaccine might be as a single shot.The mpox
vaccine made by Bavarian Nordic was previously authorized by numerous rich countries across Europe and North America during the global mpox
confirmed more than 103,000 cases of mpox since the outbreak began two years ago
Its latest tally, as of Sunday, showed that 723 people in more than a dozen countries in Africa have died of the disease.African experts
have estimated they might need about 10 million vaccines to stop the ongoing outbreaks on the continent while donor countries have promised
to provide about 3.6 million vaccines
As of last week, Congo had received only about 250,000 doses.On Thursday, the Africa CDC said 107 new deaths and 3,160 new cases had been
recorded in the past week, just a week after it and WHO launched a continent-wide response plan.Mpox belongs to the same family of viruses
as smallpox but causes milder symptoms like fever, chills and body aches
People with more serious cases can develop lesions on the face, hands, chest and genitals.Source: AP--Agencies
