The World Health Organization has authorized the first mpox vaccine for children, a decision experts hope will help make immunizations more widely available to one of the hardest-hit populations during the ongoing outbreaks of the disease in Congo and elsewhere in Africa .
In a statement late Tuesday, the U.N. health agency said it had approved the mpox vaccine made by Japanese company KM Biologics for use in children over 1 year of age as a single dose.
Earlier this month, the charity Save the Children said cases among children younger than 18 had increased by more than 130 in Congo, noting there were now more than 25,000 suspect cases.
The charity said children were almost four times more likely than adults to die from the newest form of mpox first detected in eastern Congo earlier this year. Mpox, related to smallpox, mostly causes symptoms including fever, rash, lesions and fatigue.
"Children are especially vulnerable to mpox," Save The Children's Dr. Katia Veira de Moraaes Lecasse said in a statement. "They explore by touch and taste, don't always understand health guidance and have weaker immune systems than adults."
