UNICEF moves to address shortage of Mpox vaccines in African

Mohammed Nasir Shuaibu 

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has issued an emergency tender to secure Mpox vaccines for crisis-hit African countries. 

UNICEF Director of Supply Division Leila Pakkala, said that addressing the current Mpox vaccine shortage and delivering vaccines to communities who need them now is of paramount importance. 

The UN Agency also said that there is a pressing need for a universal and transparent allocation mechanism to ensure equitable access to mpox vaccines.

UNICEF announced that it has issued an emergency tender for the procurement of Mpox vaccines. Vaccines can play a critical role in containing the Mpox outbreak which was declared a public health emergency by both the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The UNICEF tender is issued to help secure Mpox vaccines for the hardest hit countries in collaboration with Africa CDC, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, WHO, the Pan American Health Organization and other partners. This collaboration to increase access and timely allocation also includes working together to facilitate donations of vaccines from existing stockpiles in high-income countries with the aim of containing the ongoing transmission of Mpox.

Leila said that under the emergency tender, UNICEF will set up conditional supply agreements with vaccine manufacturers. This will enable UNICEF to purchase and ship vaccines without delay once countries and partners have secured financing, confirmed demand and readiness, and the regulatory requirements for accepting the vaccines are in place. WHO is currently reviewing the information submitted by manufacturers on 23 August and is expected to complete its review for Emergency Use Listing by mid-September.

More than 18,000 suspected cases of mpox, including 629 deaths, have been reported this year in the Democratic Republic of the Congo which is at the epicentre of the crisis. Four out of five deaths have been in children.

“Addressing the current Mpox vaccine shortage and delivering vaccines to communities who need them now is of paramount importance. There is also a pressing need for a universal and transparent allocation mechanism to ensure equitable access to mpox vaccines,” said Director of UNICEF Supply Division Leila Pakkala.

“As we confront the ongoing Mpox outbreak, the timely procurement and distribution of vaccines is crucial to protecting the most vulnerable populations, particularly in the hardest-hit regions.”