The World Health Organization (WHO) has given the approval of the MVA-BN vaccine as the first vaccine against monkey pox to be added to its prequalification list. The prequalification approval was made known on the WHO website this afternoon, noting that the vaccine is expected to reduce transmission and help contain the outbreak of the disease.
WHO noted that its assessment for the prequalification was hinged on information submitted by the manufacturer, Bavarian Nordic A/S, and reviewed by the European Medicines Agency, the regulatory agency of record for vaccine.
This is coming as the mpox outbreak has continued to spread like wildfire with about 120 countries who have reported more than 103,000 cases since its outbreak in year 2022. Especially in Africa, which reported the highest number of up to 25,237 suspected and confirmed cases with 723 deaths in 14 countries in 2024, according to WHO.
WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, stated 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”.
Ghebreyesus has called for “urgent” scale-up of procurement, donations and rollout to get the vaccine to where it is needed the most, along with other response measures to curb further spread of the disease.
The MVA-BN Vaccine
According to the Global agency, the MVA-BN vaccine can be administered to adult above 18 years old as a two-dose injection at the interval of four weeks apart.
WHO disclosed that its available data has indicated it’s effective in protecting persons against mpox, with about 76 per cent effectiveness after a single dose and 82 per cent after the second doses.
Meanwhile, it has also recommended that using of the vaccine for infants, children, and adolescents, as well as in pregnant and immunocompromised people, in places where a severe outbreak were reported and the benefits outweigh the risks
WHO statement partly reads; “The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunisation reviewed all available evidence and recommended the use of MVA-BN vaccine in the context of a mpox outbreak for persons at high risk of exposure.
“While MVA-BN is currently not licensed for persons under 18 years of age, this vaccine may be used “off-label” in infants, children and adolescents, and in pregnant and immunocompromised people.
“This means vaccine use is recommended in outbreak settings where the benefits of vaccination outweigh the potential risks.”
