WHO said that Gavi and UNICEF can start buying mpox vaccines before they are approved

The World Health Organization said its partners such as Gavi and UNICEF can start buying mpox vaccines before they are approved by the U.N. health agency, to get inoculations to Africa faster as the continent battles an escalating outbreak of the virus.
Traditionally, organisations like Gavi, which helps lower-income countries buy vaccines, can only start purchasing shots once they have approval from the WHO. But the rules have been relaxed in this instance to get talks moving, as the WHO's approval is due in a few weeks.
Two vaccines, made by Denmark's Bavarian Nordic , opens new tab and Japan's KM Biologics, are already approved by regulators around the world, including the U.S. and Japan, and have been in widespread use for mpox since 2022. Around 1.2 million people have had Bavarian Nordic's vaccine in the U.S. alone. The WHO is expected to grant an emergency licence to the shots in September.