02/09/2024
Ohemaa Achiaa Agyekum
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has issued an emergency tender to procure mpox vaccines for countries in crisis, in partnership with the Gavi Vaccine Alliance, Africa CDC, and the World Health Organization (WHO), according to a joint statement released by the organizations on Saturday.
The tender will allow UNICEF to establish conditional supply agreements with vaccine manufacturers. These agreements are designed to enable the swift purchase and shipment of vaccines as soon as financing, demand, readiness, and regulatory requirements are met. The collaborative effort also includes working with the Pan American Health Organization, alongside Gavi, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), and WHO. This partnership aims to facilitate the donation of vaccines from existing stockpiles in high-income countries to those in need.
Depending on the production capacity of manufacturers, the statement noted that agreements could be made for up to 12 million doses through 2025. WHO is currently reviewing information submitted by vaccine manufacturers as of August 23 and anticipates completing a review for an emergency use listing by mid-September. Two vaccines, produced by Bavarian Nordic and Japan’s KM Biologics, are under consideration for emergency licenses.
This urgent action comes in response to the recent mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has spread to neighboring countries. The WHO declared mpox a global public health emergency earlier in August. So far this year, over 18,000 suspected cases of mpox have been reported in Congo, resulting in 629 deaths. Additionally, more than 150 cases have been confirmed in Burundi, according to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The virus has also been detected outside the African continent, with confirmed cases of the clade Ib type in Sweden and Thailand. The spread of mpox beyond the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring countries underscores the urgent need for coordinated global action to prevent further outbreaks.
As global health organizations ramp up efforts to contain the spread of mpox, the emergency tender issued by UNICEF marks a critical step in ensuring that affected countries have access to the necessary vaccines. The collaboration with Gavi, Africa CDC, WHO, and other key partners highlights the importance of a unified response in tackling this public health challenge.