High costs and cumbersome administrative procedures prevent many African countries from accessing monkeypox vaccines.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the monkeypox outbreak in African countries a public health emergency. As of August 31, more than 20,000 cases of monkeypox had been reported in 13 African Union countries, including more than 500 deaths. The Republic of Congo has the highest number of cases with more than 19,000 cases.
The situation has prompted public health agencies to renew their calls for vaccines to prevent the disease. However, so far, only Nigeria has received the vaccine, while other countries have not received it.
Theo France24There are two barriers to Africa’s acceptance of the monkeypox vaccine. The first is cost and stockpiling. After the 2022 outbreak, wealthy countries quickly stockpiled millions of doses to protect their populations. Only a small amount of the vaccine has been donated to Africa.
There are currently two monkeypox vaccines in the world: MVA-BN, produced by Bavarian Nordic (Denmark), and LC16, produced by Japan. However, both vaccines are too expensive for Africa. As of August 30, countries on the continent had not yet met 10% of the $245 million estimated to be needed to combat monkeypox outbreaks.
Bavarian Nordic’s smallpox and monkeypox vaccine production line. Photo: Reuters
According to news sites, Africa has cumbersome administrative procedures that hinder emergency vaccine distribution. They rely on WHO criteria to evaluate which drugs and vaccines are safe and effective, instead of local drug regulators. This also makes many countries dependent on WHO approval, distribution capabilities, and support from UNICEF and Gavi.
New York Times The assessment also left Africa subject to the WHO’s “complex drug regulatory process.” The UN health agency was found to be “highly risk-averse” and “ill-prepared to act promptly in an emergency.”
Two years after the 2022 monkeypox outbreak, the WHO has yet to formally approve the MVA-BN and LC16 vaccines, citing “insufficient data to conduct a full assessment.” In August, the WHO activated its “Emergency Use Listing” to expedite the approval process and allow Gavi and UNICEF to purchase the vaccines.
To join hands to control the epidemic situation in Africa, at the end of August, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, the United States and the European Union donated about one million doses of vaccine.
Anna-Lise Williamson, a vaccine expert at the University of Cape Town’s Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, said that despite the increase in donations, the likelihood of having enough vaccines to vaccinate the population of the Republic of Congo and its neighbors is low. She and many other experts believe that increased surveillance is needed to identify factors that cause the virus to spread, so that vaccination can be targeted.
A WHO expert said vaccines are just one of many tools to control the outbreak. Countries need to continue contact tracing, close surveillance, coordinated public health measures and care for the sick.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is developing a response plan for outbreaks, which will be presented to heads of state for review in September. The agency has also proposed that vaccine manufacturer Bavarian Nordic transfer vaccine production technology to Africa.
In the absence of vaccines and medicines, health workers are advised to focus on providing care and support, ensuring patients have enough food and mental health support.