Expanding a prospective, clinical trial examining the immune response of participants receiving Modified Vaccinia Ankara vaccine to Africa.

The current Mpox outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ongoing since 2023, has resulted in more than 19,000 causes and over 1,000 deaths, with women accounting for more than half of those affected. The previous global Mpox outbreak in 2022 was alleviated in part with use of preventive vaccination using modified vaccina Ankara (MVA) vaccine. However, whether this vaccine induces sufficient immune responses in women and those with immunosuppression, which is common in affected areas, and how long vaccine-induced immunity lasts is not well defined. Furthermore, outbreak responses within Africa are also limited by lack of robust diagnostics. The Mpox AFRIVAC Project will engage with key stakeholders and the community to address these knowledge gaps and capacity limitations by adapting a phase 4 clinical trial of pre-exposure vaccination against Mpox currently underway in Europe to African sites affected by the current outbreak. This will be accompanied by technology transfer to develop Mpox immune diagnostics and knowledge transfer to develop a regional vaccinee-focused Clinical Trials Unit. Together, these activities will address key strategic priorities within the region, address knowledge gaps and significantly contribute to regional capacity and public health response to bring an end to the Mpox outbreak.