The MVA-BN vaccine from Danish manufacturer Bavarian Nordic A/S is the first monkeypox vaccine to be added to the World Health Organization (WHO) list of prequalified products, according to a statement published on the WHO website.
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“The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that MVA-BN will be the first smallpox vaccine to be included on its prequalification list,” the document said.
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As WHO clarifies, the MVA-BN vaccine can be administered to people over 18 years of age as an injection in two doses at an interval of four weeks. After prior storage in the refrigerator, the vaccine can be left at 2-8°C for eight weeks.
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“The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization reviewed all available evidence and recommended the use of MVA-BN vaccine in the context of a smallpox outbreak in individuals at high risk of infection. Although MVA-BN vaccine is not currently licensed for use in persons under 18 years of age, the vaccine may “off-label use” in infants, children and adolescents, as well as in pregnant women and immunocompromised people. This means that use of the vaccine is recommended in outbreak settings when the benefits of vaccination outweigh the potential risks, the statement said.
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The organization expects prequalification will facilitate timely and expanded access to this product in communities in critical need, reduce transmission, and help contain the disease outbreak.
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“This first prequalification of smallpox vaccine is an important step in our fight against this disease, both in the context of current outbreaks in Africa and in the future. We now urgently need to scale up vaccine procurement, donation and deployment to ensure equitable access to vaccines there “where they are needed most, along with other public health tools to prevent infections, stop transmission and save lives,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
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Earlier, Ghebreyesus declared the monkeypox outbreak in Africa a public health epidemiological emergency of international concern.
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Monkeypox is a rare viral disease that is potentially dangerous for people with weakened immune systems. The infection is accompanied by fever, intoxication, enlarged lymph nodes and the subsequent spread of the rash – first in the form of spots that transform into blisters, after opening ulcers form, after they heal – crusts, and when they fall off – scars. In mild cases, the disease usually goes away on its own and lasts from 14 to 21 days.
