Mpox: Equitable vaccine access crucial for Global South

This article is published in association with United Nations.

As African countries grapple with a deadly mpox outbreak, the UN independent expert on the right to health on Friday stressed that equitable access to vaccines is crucial in the race to save lives.

The call for access to all in need by Special Rapporteur Tlaleng Mofokeng, coincided with the arrival of vaccine shipments and the start of planned rollouts by health authorities in some of the African nations most impacted.

Nigeria received some 10,000 doses of the mpox vaccine last week, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo – ground zero for the current outbreak of an infectious strain known as Clade 1b – received its first batch on Thursday.

“Equitable vaccine access for all, including populations from the so-called Global South is crucial,” she said, stressing that “global access to mpox vaccines for everyone who needs them, is a human rights issue.”

She called on developed countries and businesses to do their part.

“States, in particular those from the Global North have an active role to play in providing global solidarity…businesses must not put profits before saving lives.”

Coordination is key

Ms. Mofokeng highlighted the need for coordinated action, guided by a commitment to protect and promote the fundamental right to health for all.

“Surveillance, preparedness and response activities related to mpox should be coordinated in a manner that includes all groups of the population,” she said, especially those most vulnerable.

These include the older people, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, those living in extreme poverty, the homeless, migrants, refugees and the displaced, as well as those in detention, people who use drugs and LGBTIQ+ people.

Appointed and mandated by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur is independent of the United Nations. Ms. Mofokeng is not a UN staff member and draws no salary for her work.

Scaling up response

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) and the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (African CDC) launched a joint response plan on Friday to support the continental spread of the virus.

The estimated $600 million plan, running from September to February next year, will allocate around 55 per cent of its resources to mpox response and readiness activities in 29 African nations, while the remaining will be devoted towards operational and technical support through partners.

“This is an important milestone for a coordinated action between our agencies to support countries by reinforcing expertise, mobilizing resources and capacities to swiftly and effectively halt the spread of mpox,” said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

“By coming together we can achieve more, and our collective strength will carry us further, ensuring that communities and individuals are protected from the threat of this virus,” Dr. Moeti added.

Mpox virus

Mpox is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus (commonly abbreviated as MPXV). Common symptoms include a skin rash, which can last for two to four weeks accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes.

The disease can be transmitted to humans through physical contact with someone who is infectious, or with infected animals. Treatment is supportive and aimed at alleviating the symptoms. Various therapeutics that may be effective against mpox are being developed and tested.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the mpox outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern – the highest alert level under international health law, on 14 August, following advice from the global health experts at the Emergency Committee of the International Health Regulations.