The WHO has granted emergency use authorization for a Japanese vaccine for a disease that has claimed the lives of hundreds of people.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it has approved the "LC16m8 vaccine," developed and produced by KM Biologics in Japan, for emergency use against the Mpox virus, known as the 'Monkeypox' virus, which has so far exceeded 40,000 cases and resulted in 1,200 deaths.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus shared a post on X regarding the decision. Ghebreyesus stated that the WHO has added the "LC16m8 vaccine" to its emergency use list against the Mpox virus, noting that this is the first vaccine listed for children over the age of 1 in outbreak areas.

"A CRUCIAL STEP"

Ghebreyesus, who stated, "This is a crucial step to protect vulnerable populations, especially children, as the Mpox virus continues to spread," reminded that half of all suspected Mpox cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the epicenter of the outbreak, are children under the age of 12. Ghebreyesus added, "The total number of suspected Mpox cases reported this year has exceeded 40,000, and 1,200 deaths have been reported. Outbreaks in Burundi and Uganda are also expanding. I will reconvene the Mpox Emergency Committee on Friday, November 22, to review the epidemiological situation and ongoing interventions."

On September 13, the WHO announced that the first vaccine to receive pre-qualification against the Mpox virus was "MVA-BN," produced by Bavarian Nordic. The WHO had changed the term "monkeypox virus" to "Mpox" in 2022 due to concerns about racism and discrimination. The Mpox virus was declared a "public health emergency of international concern" by the WHO on August 14.