Developed countries that have ordered millions of monkeypox vaccines can eat a large portion of the dose that was meant for African countries. This would leave millions of people vulnerable, causing a more dangerous version of the virus to spread to humans. Public health officials warned that vaccine disparity for the monkeypox virus could again cause another catastrophe as it did during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Mistakes We Saw During This” covid-19 pandemic “Already being replicated,” said Dr. Boghuma Kabisen Titanji, assistant professor of medicine at Emory University, reported AP news agency.
More than 21,000 since May this year cases of monkeypox Africa has been reported in about 80 countries with about 75 suspected deaths. On Friday, Brazil and Spain reported deaths linked to monkeypox.
“The African countries dealing with monkeypox outbreaks for decades have been turned into a footnote in the conversation about the global response,” Titanji said.
Monkeypox vaccination: ‘left behind again’, says Africa
Monkeypox does not spread as rapidly as COVID, but vaccinations may need to be accelerated for the disease spreading to the general population outside Africa. However, experts pointed out that mass vaccination against monkeypox would not be necessary. They think the targeted use of available doses, among other measures, could stave off extended pandemics recently designated by the World Health Organization as a global emergency.
Amid the crisis, Africa’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday called for the continent to be a priority for vaccines, saying it was again being left behind. “If we are not safe, the rest of the world is not safe,” said Ahmed Ogwell, acting director of the Africa CDC.
The WHO is developing a vaccine-sharing mechanism for affected countries, but has released few details about how it might work. It made no guarantees about prioritizing poor countries in Africa, saying only that vaccines would be distributed based on epidemiological need.
Some experts worry that the mechanism could mimic the problems seen with COVAX, which was created in 2020 by WHO and partners to ensure poor countries get COVID-19 shots. He repeatedly missed the goal of sharing vaccines with poor countries and at times relied on donations.
Sharmila Shetty, Vaccine Advisor, Médecins Sans Frontieres, said, “It is not enough to just ask countries to share. The longer the monkeypox spreads, the greater the chances of new animals entering reservoirs or spreading to the human general population.” ” , He said. “If that happens, vaccine requirements could change substantially.”
At the moment, there is only one manufacturer of the most advanced monkeypox vaccine: Danish company Bavarian Nordic. It has a production capacity of about 30 million doses this year, with about 16 million vaccines now available.
‘Monkeypox can cause a crisis like COVID if…’: Experts hint at wrong measures
Developed countries that have ordered millions of monkeypox vaccines can eat a large portion of the dose that was meant for African countries. This would leave millions of people vulnerable, causing a more dangerous version of the virus to spread to humans. Public health officials warned that vaccine disparity for the monkeypox virus could again cause another catastrophe as it did during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Mistakes We Saw During This” covid-19 pandemic “Already being replicated,” said Dr. Boghuma Kabisen Titanji, assistant professor of medicine at Emory University, reported AP news agency.
More than 21,000 since May this year cases of monkeypox Africa has been reported in about 80 countries with about 75 suspected deaths. On Friday, Brazil and Spain reported deaths linked to monkeypox.
“The African countries dealing with monkeypox outbreaks for decades have been turned into a footnote in the conversation about the global response,” Titanji said.
Monkeypox vaccination: ‘left behind again’, says Africa
Monkeypox does not spread as rapidly as COVID, but vaccinations may need to be accelerated for the disease spreading to the general population outside Africa. However, experts pointed out that mass vaccination against monkeypox would not be necessary. They think the targeted use of available doses, among other measures, could stave off extended pandemics recently designated by the World Health Organization as a global emergency.
Amid the crisis, Africa’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday called for the continent to be a priority for vaccines, saying it was again being left behind. “If we are not safe, the rest of the world is not safe,” said Ahmed Ogwell, acting director of the Africa CDC.
The WHO is developing a vaccine-sharing mechanism for affected countries, but has released few details about how it might work. It made no guarantees about prioritizing poor countries in Africa, saying only that vaccines would be distributed based on epidemiological need.
Some experts worry that the mechanism could mimic the problems seen with COVAX, which was created in 2020 by WHO and partners to ensure poor countries get COVID-19 shots. He repeatedly missed the goal of sharing vaccines with poor countries and at times relied on donations.
Sharmila Shetty, Vaccine Advisor, Médecins Sans Frontieres, said, “It is not enough to just ask countries to share. The longer the monkeypox spreads, the greater the chances of new animals entering reservoirs or spreading to the human general population.” ” , He said. “If that happens, vaccine requirements could change substantially.”
At the moment, there is only one manufacturer of the most advanced monkeypox vaccine: Danish company Bavarian Nordic. It has a production capacity of about 30 million doses this year, with about 16 million vaccines now available.
(with inputs from agencies)
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