An employee of the vaccine company Bavarian Nordic works in a laboratory of the company in Martinsried near Munich, Germany. File photograph
| Photo Credit: LUKAS BARTH

The World Health Organization said on Monday, October 14 that it had approved Bavarian Nordic’s mpox vaccine for adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, an age group considered especially vulnerable to outbreaks of the disease that has triggered global concern.

The WHO said in a statement that it gave the Jynneos vaccine prequalification for adolescents on October 8.

The WHO declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years in August after a new type of the virus spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to its neighbours.

The United Nations agency approved the use of the vaccine in September as the first shot against mpox in adults, making it easier for badly hit African countries to access the vaccine.

Children, adolescents and those with weakened immune systems have been particularly vulnerable to mpox, a viral infection that typically causes flu-like symptoms and skin lesions filled with pus.

WHO’s latest decision comes after the EU approved the drug for the vaccine for adolescents in September.

Sumaya Hatungimana, 12, shows the marks on her hands after recovering from Mpox, outside her house in Kinama zone, in Bujumbura, Burundi, on August 28, 2024
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday, August 29, 2024, it urges rapid access to diagnostic tests for mpox and is calling on manufacturers to submit their products for emergency review.

The agency is seeking submissions for Emergency Use Listing from manufacturers. Through this procedure, WHO can approve medical products such as vaccines, tests and treatments for emergency use.

WHO declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak of the viral infection in Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to neighboring countries.

With as many as 1,000 suspected cases reported in the Congo alone this week, the need for diagnostic tests has surged dramatically, WHO said.

Manufacturers of in vitro diagnostics have been asked to provide available data on the quality, safety and performance of the tests to the WHO as soon as possible.