The World Health Organization announced in a statement today, Friday, that the monkey-pox vaccine produced by Bavarian Nordic has been added to the pre-qualification list, making it the first vaccine of its kind approved by the organization to contain the spread of the disease in African countries, according to WHO.
Pre-qualification by the World Health Organization means that a medicine is safe and effective. Pre-qualification helps developing countries, many of which do not have the technology or resources to test the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, gain access to the vaccine.
The current outbreak began in early 2023 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has seen most of the 37,500 cases as of July 28. The disease has spread to 15 African countries, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Pre-qualifying the first monkey-pox vaccine is an important step in our fight against the disease, both in the current outbreak in Africa and in the future,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Last month, the organization declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern.
Monkeypox is a viral infection that is spread by direct contact, causing mild symptoms in most infected people but can lead to death.
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