Global rush to procure Mpox vaccines as Kenya reports fourth case

Global partners are scrambling to procure Mpox vaccines to help stop the ongoing spread of the disease.

Kenya had reported four cases by Sunday, mostly among long-distance truckers, but health officials suspected there are more undetected cases in the country.

At the same time, Unicef announced that it had issued an emergency tender for the procurement of the vaccines to contain the outbreak.

The UN children’s body is the world’s largest single vaccine buyer.

Its tender was issued to help secure Mpox vaccines for the hardest hit countries in collaboration with Africa CDC, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, WHO, the Pan American Health Organization and other partners.

Under the emergency tender, Unicef said it will set up conditional supply agreements with vaccine manufacturers.

This will enable it to purchase and ship vaccines without delay once countries and partners have secured financing, confirmed demand and readiness, and the regulatory requirements for accepting the vaccines are in place.  

WHO is currently reviewing the information submitted by manufacturers on August 23 and is expected to complete its review for Emergency Use Listing by mid-September.

More than 18,000 suspected cases of Mpox, including 629 deaths, have been reported this year in the Democratic Republic of the Congo which is at the epicentre of the crisis. Four out of five deaths have been in children.

“Addressing the current Mpox vaccine shortage and delivering vaccines to communities who need them now is of paramount importance. There is also a pressing need for a universal and transparent allocation mechanism to ensure equitable access to Mpox vaccines,” said director of Unicef supply division Leila Pakkala, in a statement.

Africa CDC director general Dr Jean Kaseya said the vaccines will go mostly to the hardest-hit regions.

“This emergency tender is a critical step forward in our collective effort to control the spread of this disease,” he said in a statement.

The emergency tender is designed to secure immediate access to available Mpox vaccines as well as to expand production.

Depending on demand, production capacity of manufacturers and funding, agreements for up to 12 million doses through 2025 can be put in place, Unicef said.

Public Health PS Mary Muthoni confirmed the fourth case of Mpox in Kenya on Saturday evening.

The PS said the latest case of Mpox is a truck driver from Mombasa who was en route to Rwanda.

“He felt unwell on August 28 while passing through Gilgil and was unable to continue his journey,” Muthoni said on X.

She said the Gilgil subcounty Rapid Response Team was immediately dispatched to access the case.

“The patient was evacuated to Nakuru PGH Isolation Centre, where he is admitted in stable condition,” she said.

Other cases were confirmed in Taita Taveta, Busia and Nairobi.

The National Public Health Laboratory has so far processed 90 samples, of which four turned out positive and two are pending confirmation.

Thirty contacts are under follow-up in Busia, Mombasa, Nairobi and Nakuru.

According to the Ministry of Health, the total number of people screened as of August 31 is 599,380.

Some 16,533 people have been screened at the points of entry in the last 24 hours.