The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced the establishment of an Access and Allocation Mechanism (AAM) aimed at ensuring that mpox vaccines, treatments, and diagnostic tests are readily available to affected countries.
This initiative comes in response to a public health emergency declared on August 14 due to a surge in mpox cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighbouring countries.
WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus said the AAM is designed to increase access to crucial medical counter-measures for individuals at the highest risk of infection, ensuring that limited supplies are utilised effectively and equitably.
“Vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics are powerful tools for bringing the mpox outbreaks in Africa under control,” Tedros said.
He emphasised the importance of international cooperation to facilitate equitable access, drawing lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2024, 15 countries in Africa have reported mpox cases, with the WHO’s International Health Regulations Emergency Committee recommending that states ensure equitable access to safe and effective counter-measures.
The recent outbreak underscores the urgent need for a collaborative approach to distribute these critical resources fairly, especially as the availability of vaccines remains limited.
The AAM is part of the interim Medical Countermeasures Network (i-MCM-Net), which brings together global partners, including UN agencies, health organizations and civil society, to develop, manufacture, allocate, and deliver medical countermeasures.
Over 3.6 million doses of vaccines have already been pledged to support the mpox response.
This includes 620,000 doses of the MVA-BN vaccine from various countries and organisations and Japan’s pledge of three million doses of the LC16 vaccine, marking the largest contribution so far.
The mechanism aims to prioritise vaccination for those most at risk, mitigate inequities in access to medical countermeasures, and maintain transparency in allocation decisions.
“We urge countries with supplies of vaccines and other products to come forward with donations,” Tedros said.
JN/APA