Brazil negotiates purchase of 25 thousand doses of mpox vaccine
The emergency purchase of 25 thousand doses of mpox vaccine is being negotiated by the Brazilian Ministry of Health with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The announcement was made by the ministry Thursday (Aug. 15) at an event announcing the installation of an operations center to coordinate mpox response actions in the country. The disease has been declared a public health emergency of international importance by the World Health Organization (WHO).
During the first global mpox emergency, in 2023, Brazil’s drug authority Anvisa authorized the emergency use of the Jynneos shot to prevent the disease, since the product was not licensed in Brazil. The authorization was renewed in February this year, but was due to expire again this month. The ministry has made a new request for renewal.
According to Anvisa, the jab is intended for adults aged 18 and over and has a shelf life of up to 60 months when stored between -60°C and -40°C. The extension of the temporary and exceptional dispensation is valid for six months and applies only to the ministry.
Surveillance
“We’re at a stage where surveillance and monitoring are key,” said Health Minister Nísia Trindade. “People are often anxious. The vaccine always creates great expectations. But it’s important to reiterate that, in cases where vaccination is recommended, it’s quite selective, focused on very specific target groups until now,” she pointed out.
Also during the event, the ministry’s Health Surveillance Secretary Ethel Maciel said that the Jynneos vaccine comes from a Nordic producer and has a small production, adding that there is a shortage on the international market, which is why purchases are being negotiated via PAHO.
Emergency levels
Under the new global emergency set up by the WHO, he went on to say, Brazil stands at level 1, the least alarming, with a normal scenario for the disease and no cases of the new variant identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Africa. The last death from the disease on Brazilian soil was recorded in April 2023.
According to the ministry, level 2 would reflect a mobilization scenario, with the detection of imported cases in Brazil; level 3 represents an alert scenario, with the detection of sporadic autochthonous cases; level 4 is an emergency situation, with sustained transmission in the national territory; and level 5 is a crisis situation, with an mpox epidemic established in the country.
