The green light from the European regulator comes as the world awaits the conclusions of experts after a Thursday meeting of the WHO Emergency Committee, whose director-general expressed concern about the increase in the number of smallpox cases. monkey in the world.

The Imvanex vaccine, from Danish company Bavarian Nordic, has been approved in the EU since 2013 for the prevention of smallpox.

It has been approved against monkeypox due to the similarity between this virus and the smallpox virus.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was "worried" on Thursday about the rise in the number of monkeypox cases as he opened an Emergency Committee meeting, seeking advice from experts.

He is responsible for possibly declaring a public health emergency of international concern, the highest level of health agency alert, based on the Committee's recommendations.

The situation has worsened in recent weeks with more than 15,300 cases now recorded in 71 countries, according to the latest figures from the United States health authorities (CDC), the most up-to-date.

At a first meeting on June 23, the majority of experts recommended that Dr. Tedros not declare a public health emergency of international concern.

"Mild Side Effects"

Detected in early May, the unusual upsurge in monkeypox cases outside central and western African countries where the virus is endemic has since spread across the globe, with Europe as its epicenter.

First detected in humans in 1970, monkeypox is less dangerous and contagious than its cousin smallpox, eradicated in 1980.

Monkey pox John SAEKI AFP

In most cases, the patients are men who have sex with men, relatively young, and living mainly in cities, according to the WHO.

The disease first manifests as a high fever and quickly progresses to a rash, with the formation of scabs.

Most often benign, it generally heals spontaneously after two to three weeks.

The European regulator based its recommendation on data from several animal studies that showed protection against monkeypox virus in non-human primates vaccinated with Imvanex.

"The safety profile of the medicine is favourable, with mild to moderate side effects, and the CHMP concluded that the benefits of the medicine outweigh the risks," the EMA said in a statement.

The Danish company Bavarian Nordic, the only laboratory producing an authorized vaccine against monkeypox, indicated on Tuesday that it had received an order for 1.5 million doses, most of which will be delivered in 2023, from a European country whose name is n did not filter, while the United States ordered 2.5 million additional doses.

© 2022 AFP