Thursday, 21/11/2024 13:41 (GMT+7)
The World Health Organization announced the emergency use authorization of the LC16m8 mpox vaccine to facilitate increased and timely access to vaccines in communities where mpox outbreaks are surging.
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| Mpox vaccination. (Photo: Xinhuanet/VNA) |
The WHO on November 19 approved the monkeypox vaccine produced by Japanese pharmaceutical firm KM Biologics for emergency use. This is the second vaccine to receive this approval.
Ms. Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General in charge of medicines and health care products, affirmed that this is an important step forward in responding to the current emergency, providing a new option to protect all population groups, including children.
This move comes after the Japanese Government announced that it will donate 3.05 million doses of LC16m8 along with specialized needles to the Democratic Republic of Congo, the country most affected with more than 39,000 suspected cases of mpox and more than 1,000 deaths.
According to WHO, this is the largest funding package to respond to the emergency of the disease. WHO recommends that this vaccine should not be used for pregnant women or people with immunodeficiency.
Last month, WHO also officially approved the use of the mpox vaccine from Danish firm Bavarian Nordic for adolescents aged 12 to 17, a group vulnerable to the disease.
In the context of the number of infections with the Clade 1b strain (more contagious and potentially fatal) skyrocketing in the Democratic Republic of Congo and spreading beyond its borders, WHO on August 14 declared a global public health emergency due to mpox. To date, the Clade 1b strain and other mopox virus strains have appeared in more than 80 countries, including 19 countries in Africa.
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals but can also be passed from human to human through close physical contact. The disease causes fever, muscle aches, skin lesions and is potentially fatal./.
BTA