A new virus is spreading throughout Africa, prompting the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The new outbreak of mpox (formerly known as Monkey Pox), originated in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and is a variant of a disease which has been in existence for over a decade. The spread of the new branch of the mpox ‘family’ throughout the wider region is being blamed on contact between African truckers and sex workers present on many of the main transit routes. This has led to the infection being identified in formerly unaffected countries such as Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. The death rate resulting from the disease has been estimated by WHO as 3.6% but in previous outbreaks it has been as high as 10%. 500 people are believed to have died from mpox this year in the DRC alone.
However, experts believe that spread of the virus around the world on a wider scale is unlikely. The disease is only passed from person-to-person by close physical contact, such as in the households of a traveller returning from an affected part of Africa. Consequently, the focus of the global health community is ensuring that vaccines are delivered to where they are really needed, central and eastern Africa.
According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), vaccination programmes are due to start in late August in the DRC. Pledges have been made by the European Union, the USA and Japan to provide funding for the vaccine which is being produced by Danish pharma company, Bavarian Nordic. However, the manufacturer has commented that it has yet to scale up production due to a lack of firm orders and this will take time. It has urged administrators to take decisions quickly, in the meantime donating 40,000 doses itself. The company is in talks with partners throughout Africa to manufacture the vaccine in the region, but this too will take time.
Another challenge will be transporting and storing the vaccine. Reuters reports Africa CDC Director General, Jean Kaseya, as saying, ‘We need to make sure that the supply chain management, the logistics are ready…to ensure that this vaccine will be safely stored and can be safely administered to people who need them.’ The vaccine is presently held in bulk in Denmark and distribution of the drug will required filling, finishing and international delivery of thousands of vials.
According to the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC), the vaccine must either be kept refrigerated (between 2 degrees and 8 degrees Celsius) or frozen. It can be stored refrigerated for up to 8 weeks after thawing. However, whilst this is a reasonable expectation in developed countries, achieving this level of temperature control in parts of Africa is highly challenging, not least due to a lack of appropriate equipment and power supply.
Providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the region will also be a priority. Some experts believe that the disease can be transmitted by droplets and consequently the availability and distribution of face masks may be important although the WHO has said that more research is needed.
mpox is certainly not the new-Covid-19 and as such it has gathered little attention in developing countries. However, it is having a major impact to communities and economies in parts of Africa. In order to mitigate the effects of the disease on the wider population, the roll out of vaccine programmes must take place swiftly. The global supply chain industry, specifically those sectors involved in temperature controlled logistics and storage, will play an important part in these efforts.
Source: Ti Insight
Author: John Manners-Bell
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