STATUS OF VACCINATIONS AND MPOX TREATMENTS

Spotlight has previously reported that smallpox vaccine, which has not been routinely administered in South Africa since the 1980s when smallpox was eradicated, likely provides some protection against mpox. However, it is difficult to predict how much protection smallpox vaccine will provide, Sirvo told Spotlight in a previous article.

There are currently three vaccines against mpox that have been approved in some countries, a spokesperson for the Gavi vaccine alliance told Spotlight. They are LC16m8, JYNNEOS and ACAM2000.

LC16m8 is a third-generation smallpox vaccine manufactured by KM Biologics. According to WHO, as of 2022, it was used primarily in Japan.

The JYNNEOS vaccine is a third-generation smallpox vaccine produced by Bavarian Nordic, Ndwandwe said, and was used during the 2022 outbreak. She added that this vaccine is considered the preferred option because of its safety profile and targeted protection against MPox.

ACAM2000 is a second-generation smallpox vaccine produced by Emergent BioSolutions. However, it was not approved by the FDA for use in people at high risk of MPox until late August of this year. It was not widely used during the 2022 outbreak, but was available in some places under a compassionate use protocol (a way of delivering drugs or vaccines that have not yet been licensed).

In 2022, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended the use of JYNNEOS as the primary vaccine against MPox because it was associated with fewer side effects than ACAM2000.

While these vaccines exist, it doesn’t mean everyone can easily access them. Countries on the African continent have so far relied on vaccine donations facilitated by the WHO, with an initial 10,000 doses due to arrive in Africa this month.

Vaccine makers KM Biologics and Bavarian Nordic have submitted proposals to WHO for an emergency use listing (EUL), according to WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who added that it would allow UNICEF and the GAVI vaccine alliance to buy vaccines and supply them to countries that have not yet issued their own national regulatory approval.

Treatment options for mpox are also limited. According to this WHO fact sheet on mpox, some antiviral drugs have been given emergency use authorization in some countries and are being evaluated in clinical trials. However, there is no proven effective antiviral treatment for mpox.

Tecovirimat, which is approved to treat smallpox, is one of those antivirals being evaluated. According to the CDC, animal studies have shown that the antiviral drug can help treat MPOX, but it is still considered an investigational drug for MPOX. The drug has been used in some cases of severe MPOX.

When asked about this, Ndwandwe admitted that more research needs to be done to fully understand the evidence surrounding the use of Tecovirimat.

“But now we know that since the drug has been approved for use in palliative care, there are some benefits to using it, given that there is no other (treatment),” she said.