WHO sharing vaccines to stop monkeypox in unjustified fear

The World Health Organization said it is creating a new vaccine sharing mechanism to stop the outbreak. Monkeypox In more than 30 countries other than Africa. This move could allow UN health agencies to distribute rare vaccine doses to rich countries that could otherwise afford them.

For some health professionals, this initiative may miss the opportunity to control the monkeypox virus in African countries. Where people have been infected for decadesServes as another example of the unfairness of vaccine distribution seen during a coronavirus pandemic.

WHO Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency is developing an initiative for “fair access” to vaccines and treatments and hopes to be ready within a few weeks. This mechanism was proposed shortly after the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, the United States and other countries. Hundreds of monkeypox cases have been reported last month.

WHO describes this outbreak as “abnormal” and the continued spread of the virus is worried enough to convene an expert advisor next week to decide whether monkeypox should be declared a global emergency. He said he was doing it.

The vaccine for smallpox, a related disease, is thought to be about 85% effective against monkeypox. Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO’s European director, said Wednesday Some developed countries to buy more vaccines Without talking about buying supplies for Africa.

Mr. Kruge urged the government to “approach monkeypox without repeating the pandemic mistakes.” Still, he did not downplay the possibility that countries like the United Kingdom, which currently have the largest outbreaks beyond Africa, would receive the vaccine through WHO.

He said the program is designed for all countries and vaccines are dispensed primarily based on epidemiological needs.

“Europe remains the epicenter of this expanding outbreak, with 25 countries reporting more than 1,500 cases, or 85% of the world total,” Kluge said.

Some African experts questioned why the UN Health Agency has never proposed the use of vaccines in Central and West Africa, where the disease is endemic.

“The place to start vaccination is Africa, not anywhere else,” he said. Dr. Ahmed OgwellDeputy Director of Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

He said the lack of a vaccine to combat monkeypox on the continent, where more than 1,500 suspected cases and 72 deaths have been reported this year, is more serious than the almost mild disease clusters reported in developed countries. He said it was a concern.

“This is an extension of the inequality seen during COVID,” he said. Dr. Ifeanyi Nsofor, A doctor of infectious diseases in Nigeria and a consultant to the communications agency Upswell. “There have been hundreds of monkeypox cases in Nigeria from 2017 to the present, and we are only dealing with them ourselves,” he said. “No one is discussing when there will be vaccines available in Africa.”

After the coronavirus pandemic exploded in 2020, health agencies around the world rushed to establish COVAX, UN-supported efforts to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine.But developed countries have bought most World supplyAnd the COVAX program Missed multiple goals for sharing doses with the poor in the world..

To date, only about 17% of people in poor countries receive a single dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Some experts fear that the same thing could happen with monkeypox.

“As with COVID, there is no clear path for how poor countries can be vaccinated,” he said. Brook Baker, A law professor at Northeastern University who specializes in access to medicines.

He warned that developed countries that had previously promised doses may not cooperate as WHO seeks to determine available vaccine doses.

“A rich country will protect itself while the people of the south of the world die,” Baker predicted.

On Monday, advocacy group Public Citizen I sent a letter to the White HouseAsks whether the Biden administration will release the US promised 20 million smallpox vaccines for use by WHO in the event of an emergency such as a biological attack.

When asked about his commitment, a senior U.S. official said the government was “exploring all options” to facilitate efforts to stop monkeypox in the United States and globally.

Officials said the United States had returned more than 200,000 doses of the smallpox vaccine to the manufacturer, making it available to others. Officials did not say whether the United States would consider the current outbreak of monkeypox as an emergency justifying the release of 20 million pledged vaccines.

According to health data and analysis firm Airfinity, the United States has at least 1.4 million vaccines and has ordered an additional 13 million vaccines. To date, the United States has reported 72 cases of monkeypox.

François BurrowInfectious disease experts at University College London said vaccination efforts in rich countries should encourage a review of future monkeypox response strategies in Africa.

“Vaccination of Africans with nasty strains that actually killed people should really be a priority,” he added, adding that more monkeypox spillovers are likely in the future. ..

“No matter what vaccinations are given in Europe, it doesn’t solve the problem,” Barrow said.

Zeke Miller from Washington contributed to this report.