WHO grants emergency listing for Japan’s LC16 mpox vaccine

News brief

The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced that it has granted emergency use listing for Japan’s LC16m8 mpox vaccine, the second mpox vaccine to receive the designation since the group declared a public health emergency of international concern regarding outbreaks in Africa.

bifurcated needle
US Navy/Michael W. Pendergrass/CC

The step paves the way for countries to receive doses and for children, hit hard by the virus in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Burundi, to receive doses. Japan had stockpiled the vaccine, which was used in 1974 to vaccinate children.

Japan had earlier announced the donation of 3.05 million doses to the DRC, along with needles used for vaccine administration, the largest to date amid the current outbreaks in Africa. 

Filling a gap for people ages 1 to 12

The WHO’s Technical Advisory Group recommended the vaccine for use in people older than 1 year as a single dose using a bifurcated (two-pronged) needle. However, because the vaccine is minimally replicating, it is not recommended for pregnant women or for people who have immunocompromising conditions, including certain people living with HIV.

Yukiko Nakatani, MD, PhD, assistant director-general for access to medicines and health products, said, “WHO emergency use listing of the LC16m8 vaccine against mpox marks a significant step in our response to the current emergency, providing a new option to protect all populations, including children.” 

The currently authorized vaccine, Bavarian Nordic’s Jynneos, is indicated for use in people ages 12 and older.

CWD spreads to another Wyoming elk hunt area

News brief
Elk cow
Larry Lamsa / Flickr cc

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department says a hunter-harvested female elk has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD) for the first time in Elk Hunt Area 23.

Located mainly in the Casper region in the east-central part of the state, Elk Hunt Area 23 shares its border with Elk Hunt Areas 48, 16, and 19, which have all reported cases of the fatal neurodegenerative disease.

CWD has been found in 35 US states, five Canadian provinces, and in Norway, Finland, Sweden, and South Korea.

"In 2023, Game and Fish personnel tested more than 5,000 CWD lymph node samples from deer and elk—primarily submitted by hunters—and continue to evaluate new recommendations for trying to manage the disease," a news release yesterday said.

Cases identified in 35 states

CWD, which is caused by infectious misfolded proteins called prions, affects cervids such as elk, deer, moose, and reindeer. It has been found in 35 US states, five Canadian provinces, and in Norway, Finland, Sweden, and South Korea.

While CWD hasn't been identified in people, the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend against eating meat from infected or sick animals and advise taking care when handling the carcasses.

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