Applying COVID-19 Lessons to the MPOX Outbreak: Recommendations for WHO and Responding Countries
Aug 22, 2024
On Wednesday, August 14th the World Health Organization declared MPOX as a public health emergency in the Congo and elsewhere in Africa. MPOX, formerly known as monkeypox, as a Global Health Emergency, underscores the critical need for a well-coordinated international response. As the WHO and responding countries prepare to address this health hazard, they can use lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic to guide a rapid response and steer clear of COVID-19 failures.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, several countries adopted protectionist policies, including higher tariffs, border closures, and the seizure of medical supplies. While these actions were intended to preserve national resources, they frequently disrupted global supply chains and exacerbated the crisis. It is important for countries to avoid similar measures. International cooperation develop, manufacture, and distribute vaccines should be the primary focus.
Countries must maintain open borders to facilitate the flow of medical supplies, healthcare personnel, and information to guarantee a more efficient and synchronized global response.
There are currently only two MPOX vaccines and the WHO has sent out a request for other vaccine manufacturers to submit paperwork so that other vaccines can be considered for Emergency Use Licenses (EUL). To support rapid development of new vaccines during COVID the Trump Whitehouse unveiled Operation Warp Speed (OWS). It was one of the most effective COVID-19 pandemic initiatives and allowed for the fastest development of new vaccines in history. It used advanced contracts to fund hundreds of millions of vaccine doses before they completed clinical trials and received EUL. Some didn’t get the full approval, others like Moderna and Pfizer vaccines did. Thanks to OWS not only were they immediately able to mass produce them, they also had hundreds of thousands of doses ready to go.
In every health emergency there in an inevitable call to “waive” intellectual property rights, based on the mistaken belief that exclusivity blocks access to the pharmaceutical. Notwithstanding, there are several exceptions in the Trade Related aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement at the WTO that permit countries to license medicines if that ever is the case.
During COVID no country used any of the exemptions built-in to the TRIPS agreement. Yet there was a two-year effort at the WTO to “waive” all intellectual property rights for COVID vaccines.
By the time the TRIPS “waiver” was issued, strong intellectual property rights and the market had supplied COVID vaccines to all parts of the world. In fact, in Africa many nations including the Congo, Nigeria, and Uganda were destroying doses because they were expiring before use. To date, no country has announced that they have used the waiver.
This example illustrates how weakening intellectual property rights to vaccine access; rather, market forces, property rights, international coordination with GAVI, and public education. Encouraging voluntary license agreements and establishing strong international alliances between vaccine producers and distributors will greatly improve the MPOX’s response. These partnerships protect intellectual property rights, maintain high production standards, and accelerate the transfer of manufacturing expertise.
Additionally, during COVID-19, managing supply chain logistics and combating misinformation proved to be significant challenges, particularly in Africa. For MPOX, it’s essential to pay attention to public education and logistical support. There must be clear and accurate information about the illness, how it spreads, and how important immunization is. Addressing and correcting misinformation will be crucial in ensuring high vaccine uptake and fostering community collaboration.
Countries can mount a more effective response to the MPOX Global Health Emergency by applying the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic – avoiding protectionist measures, modeling early vaccine investment strategies, supporting intellectual property, enhancing public education, and managing supply chain logistics. These tactics will fortify international health systems, paving the way for better preparedness in the face of future health crises.
Photo Credit: A yellow substance on a blue surface photo – Free Mpox Image on Unsplash