Africa locked out of race to spread monkeypox vaccine

Ahmed al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, has repeatedly stated that “no one is safe until everyone is safe”.

This statement, which he has been fond of mentioning in many Regional Office press conferences since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, underscores the importance of equitable distribution of vaccines to eliminate the virus.

The World Health Organization may be compelled to launch a similar appeal to address the unfair distribution of monkeypox vaccine.

Moves by rich countries to buy large quantities of monkeypox vaccine while refusing to share doses with Africa could leave millions of people vulnerable to a more dangerous version of the disease and risk the virus continuing to spread to humans, The quoted as saying Associated Press public health officials issued a warning in a report Saturday.

Critics fear a repeat of the catastrophic injustice problems during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The mistakes we’ve seen during the COVID-19 pandemic are already repeating themselves,” said Dr. Boghuma Kabisen Titanji, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Emory University.

While rich countries have ordered millions of vaccines to stop monkeypox within their borders, none have announced plans to share doses with Africa, where a deadlier form of monkeypox is spreading than in the West.

To date, more than 22,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in nearly 80 countries since May, with about 75 suspected deaths in Africa, mostly in Nigeria and Congo.

On Friday, Brazil and Spain reported monkeypox-related deaths, the first to be reported outside of Africa. Spain reported a second death from monkeypox on Saturday.

“African countries that have been dealing with monkeypox outbreaks for decades have been relegated to a footnote in talks about the global response,” Titanji said.

Scientists say mass vaccinations against monkeypox will not be necessary, unlike campaigns to contain COVID-19.

They believe targeting available doses, along with other measures, could end the rampant epidemics recently classified by the WHO as a global health emergency.

Though monkeypox is much harder to spread than COVID-19, experts warn that if the disease spreads to the general population — currently circulating almost exclusively among gay and bisexual men in Europe and North America — the need for vaccines could increase, especially as the virus spreads established in new regions.

On Thursday, the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called for the continent to be prioritized for vaccines and said it was once again being left behind.

“If we are not safe, the rest of the world is not safe,” said Ahmed Ogwell, acting director of Africa CDC.

Although monkeypox has been endemic in parts of Africa for decades, it primarily spreads to humans from infected wildlife and has not typically spread very far beyond the continent.

Experts suggest the monkeypox outbreaks in North America and Europe may have originated in Africa long before the disease spread via sex at two raves in Spain and Belgium.

Currently, more than 70% of monkeypox cases worldwide occur in Europe and 98% affect men who have sex with men.

Yvan Hutin, director of the Division of Universal Health Coverage, Communicable Diseases, at WHO’s EMRO, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the organization is working closely with member states and partners to set up a coordination mechanism to ensure the greatest number of countries have access to the vaccine.

The organization is also working with several member states that have larger vaccine reserves to make some of their stocks more accessible to countries that lack such access.

He stressed that evaluating what is available and how to use these vaccines to achieve the optimal effect will take time.

Meanwhile, he underscored the need to make every effort to control the spread of monkeypox among humans through early detection, diagnosis, isolation and contact tracing.

Hutin further reiterated that information is a powerful tool that enables the most vulnerable to protect themselves and others.

Some countries have recently approved a monkeypox vaccine but its supply is still limited, while others have the old smallpox vaccine that can be used to treat the virus.

He pointed out that once the vaccines are available, the WHO will recommend targeted vaccination for those who have been exposed to people who have been diagnosed with monkeypox.

It is also strongly recommended that people at high risk of exposure be vaccinated, including healthcare workers, some laboratory workers and people with multiple sexual partners.

He decreed the need for mass vaccination against monkeypox.

He reiterated that vaccination does not provide immediate protection against infection or disease, noting that the process can take several weeks.

This indicates that vaccinates should continue to take preventive measures, e.g. B. Avoiding close contact, including sex, with others or with people at risk of contracting the virus.