It has recently approved the Jynneos vaccine of Bavarian Nordic for use in adolescents aged 12 to 17 years. This will be a significant step for ensuring the protection of this age group against this dreaded mpox disease. Announced on October 8, 2024, this comes in the wake of global outbreaks of mpox, the viral disease characterized by flu-like symptoms and skin lesions. According to officials, it was particularly perilous for children, adolescents, and individuals with weakened immune systems.
The new strain of mpox, previously known as monkeypox, had sparked a global public health emergency in August 2024 when it spread out of the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighboring African countries. In September, WHO had approved Jynneos as the first vaccine against mpox in adults, so that access to vaccine was opened in regions where the outbreak has weighed most heavily, particularly in Africa.
The vaccine is now in the consideration list of adolescents following the European Union’s move to approve the Jynneos vaccine for use in adolescents back in September. The manufacturer of the vaccine is also Danish biotech firm, Bavarian Nordic, which will soon start a clinical trial in the month of October, targeting to test the safety of the vaccine among children aged two up to 12 years. The said clinical trial is partly funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, or CEPI.
Another mpox vaccine that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for adults 18 years and older is Bavarian Nordic’s Jynneos shot. During the 2022 mpox outbreak, the FDA granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for its use in adolescents. Another competitor mpox vaccine in Japan is called LC16 from KM Biologics; it can be administered to children but only via a special inoculation needle.
WHO’s move is part of the global response to mpox control while protecting the most susceptible population from the viral infection, which raises essential public health concerns since the renewed outbreak. Bavarian Nordic has made no statements on this latest prequalification for adolescents.
