MSF responds to WHO declaration on Mpox outbreak
On 13 August 2024, the Africa CDC declared the Mpox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) recognised the Africa CDC's declaration, and we're relieved that the World Health Organisation (WHO) on 14 August declared the upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and a growing number of African countries a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
MSF strongly supports WHO's appeal to donors to make the necessary funds available for a comprehensive and coordinated response to the ongoing outbreak, covering all components of outbreak response, including surveillance, building laboratory capacity, community sensitisation and engagement, and guaranteeing peoples' access to treatments, vaccines and diagnostics.
"The extremely limited availability of mpox vaccines in DRC has already drastically reduced the reach of the national strategic plan for vaccination against mpox," says Dr Justin B. Eyong, Intersectional Epidemiological Coordinator for MSF in DRC.
"This means that without improved access to vaccines, thousands of people, including children under 15 years old who are particularly affected by mpox (representing 56% and 79% of all cases and deaths from mpox in 2024, respectively), may be left unprotected. With the mpox outbreak in DRC continuing to evolve rapidly, the situation is urgent, and every necessary step must be taken to get mpox vaccines to the adults and children who need them now."
Although all components of an outbreak response are needed, access and use of existing vaccines can be dramatically improved with the following concrete actions:
- WHO should accelerate the Emergency Use Listing (EUL) Procedure for the two Mpox vaccines already approved by WHO-listed national regulatory authorities. EUL will encourage manufacturers to increase their production and allow Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, and UNICEF to procure these vaccines for distribution.
- With Africa CDC Director General Kaseya having estimated that at least 10 million doses of Mpox vaccines will be needed to respond to the ongoing epidemic, countries that have substantial stockpiles of MVA-BN vaccines* and that are not experiencing any active outbreaks must donate as many doses as possible for allocation to affected countries in Africa.
- All relevant parties must find a legal arrangement for any compensation that stems from using the MVA-BN vaccine in children and adolescents during this outbreak, such as a no-fault compensation fund. The paediatric use of MVA-BN was recommended by the United States CDC during the 2022 Mpox outbreak and by the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) among children with increased risk of contracting mpox.
- The current price of the MVA-BN vaccine is out of reach for most low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where Mpox is endemic or is currently spreading. Bavarian Nordic must review its pricing policy, and urgently seek partnership with one of the emerging vaccine manufacturers in Africa for a full and timely tech transfer so a vaccine protecting against a disease that is endemic to Africa can also be produced on the African continent in the future.
*The MVA-BN vaccine is the only US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved mpox vaccine.
MSF Flash qoute on WHO declaration.docx
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Jane Rabothata
About Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is a global network of principled medical and other professionals who specialise in medical humanitarian work, driven by our common humanity and guided by medical ethics. We strive to bring emergency medical care to people caught in conflicts, crises, and disasters in more than 70 countries worldwide.
In South Africa, the organisation is recognised as one of the pioneers of providing Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) in the public sector and started the first HIV programmes in South Africa in 1999. Until today, the focus of MSF’s interventions in the country has primarily been on developing new testing and treatment strategies for HIV/AIDS and TB in Eshowe (Kwa-Zulu Natal) and Khayelitsha (Western Cape).
In Tshwane, we run a migration project, and we offer medical and psychosocial care to migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, who struggle to access public health services under South Africa’s increasingly restrictive.
Previously we offered free, high-quality, confidential medical care to survivors of SGBV in Rustenburg.
To learn more about our work in South Africa, please visit this page on our website (www.msf.org.za). To support MSF’s work:
- SMS “JOIN” to 42110 to donate R30 Once-off
- Visit https://www.msf.org.za/donate
