Germany is to donate 100 000 mpox vaccine doses from its military stocks to help contain the outbreak in Africa, its government announced this week, while Japan is also planning to send over a batch – the only jabs suitable for children – to the DRC.
Reuters reports that Germany will provide the World Health Organisation with “flexible financial resources via various instruments to combat mpox and also support its partners in Africa through the Gavi vaccination alliance”.
Germany has around 117 000 doses of Jynneos (from Bavarian Nordic), which are being stockpiled by its army after Berlin procured the stock in 2022, but it will retain a minimum amount of stock, to protect travelling authorities for example, said a Defence Ministry spokesperson.
Children’s jab
Also quick to offer assistance, Japan-based KM Biologics will be sending donations of its vaccine LC16 – the only mpox jab currently licensed for children, and essential for Africa where around 45% of cases in the DRC and 43% in neighbouring Burundi are children under 10.
Most of the children infected in the eastern DRC are malnourished, so their immune systems are weak and susceptible to mpox infection, reports Health Policy Watch.
Jynneos (MVA-BN) is not yet licensed for children but the company recently submitted clinical data to the European Medicines Agency “to potentially support the use of the vaccine in adolescents (12-17-year-olds)”.
This follows a clinical study involving more than 300 adolescents completed with the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
“Furthermore, through a collaboration with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the company will shortly initiate a clinical trial to assess the immunogenicity and safety of MVA-BN in children from 2-12, aiming to further extend the indication of the vaccine into younger populations,” the company added.
Bavarian Nordic is working on tech transfer to enable African manufacturers to make the vaccine, which would involve the end process of “fit and finish”.
Gabon reports first case
Gabon, meanwhile, is the latest country to report an mpox infection as cases continue to rise on the continent – up almost 2 000 to 22 863 cases since last week.
The Africa CDC, however, is concerned that this is an undercount, given weaknesses in surveillance and with some countries only able to test around 18% of suspected cases.
The agency is now deploying 72 epidemiologists to the outbreak hotspots to enhance surveillance and data quality, and has met close to 200 partners to galvanise support for mpox response.
The WHO has been criticised for being too slow to evaluate potential mpox vaccines already approved by the US and Europe, thus leaving Africa dependent on donated vaccines.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Urgent global action needed stop Mpox pandemic
Mpox now declared a global emergency
No need to panic, say SA experts as DRC buckles under mpox spread