Why Mpox Vaccines Aren’t Flowing to Africans in Desperate Need : Stephanie Nolen / NY Times

According to this article, three years after the last worldwide mpox outbreak, the WHO still has neither officially approved the vaccines — although the United States and Europe have — nor has it issued an emergency use license that would speed access.

Bureaucratic approval processes in WHO have kept mpox vaccines from reaching the Democratic Republic of Congo and other affected countries, despite a global health emergency. WHO has not yet approved or issued emergency use licenses for mpox vaccines, which is necessary for UNICEF and Gavi to distribute them in low-income countries.

WHO claims it lacked sufficient data for full approval and could only start the emergency license process after declaring a global health emergency. UNICEF, along with Gavi, requires WHO approval or emergency use license to buy and distribute mpox vaccines in low-income countries like Congo.

Gavi, which helps facilitate immunizations in developing nations, has been waiting for WHO's emergency authorization to begin the vaccine procurement process. Gavi has a $500 million pandemic emergency response fund that could be used for this situation.

Click here for the article in the NYTimes