Color transmission electron micrograph of monkeypox virus particles (red) found inside infected cells (blue) grown in the laboratory.
Bsip | Universal Imaging Group | Getty Images
LONDON — Healthcare stocks surged after the World Health Organization declared a measles outbreak in Africa a public health emergency, with shares in Danish vaccine maker Bavarian Nordic rising 17% on Thursday.
Shares of Bavarian Nordic, one of the only companies with an approved MPOX vaccine, rose 16.5% in early trading in Copenhagen, Denmark, up 13% from the previous session, when it said it could meet growing demand for the vaccine.
As of about 4:36 p.m. local time, the stock gave back about 8% of its gains.
U.S. pharmaceutical company stocks Emerging biological solutions — The ACAM2000 vaccine is one of two vaccines respected Shares in the joint venture between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Bavarian Nordic company JYNNEOS climbed in after-hours trading in New York.
Meanwhile, medical tool suppliers Precision Systems Sciences, Inc. Tokyo soared 40%.
The World Health Organization issued a statement on Wednesday, its second in two years targeting MPOX, following an outbreak of viral infections in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to neighboring countries.
“Public Health Emergency of International Concern” status is the highest level of the World Health Organization and is designed to accelerate international public health measures and cooperation to contain the disease.
Mpox is a zoonotic disease that spreads from animals to humans. Flu-like symptoms and pus lesions on the body occur. Usually mild, in rare cases it can be fatal.
The surge in cases is thought to be due to a new variant known as clade Ib, which appears to be more easily spread through close contact, including sexual contact. Cases of the new variant have since been confirmed in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
There was a previous outbreak of the virus in 2022, when thousands of cases were reported globally, prompting the World Health Organization to declare a public health emergency. The designation was lifted in May 2023 as case numbers steadily declined.
Brian Ferguson, associate professor of immunology at the University of Cambridge, said the new outbreak was particularly concerning given the rising prevalence among children, and said more needed to be done to improve access to vaccines.
He said that “although there are effective vaccines, there are not enough doses” and they are not getting to where they are needed.
The World Health Organization said it is working with countries and vaccine manufacturers to increase vaccination access in affected countries. The U.N. health agency said it has released $1.45 million in emergency funding and more may be needed in the coming days. Its response plan is expected to have immediate initial funding requirements of $15 million.
“The cost and availability of vaccines will be a huge challenge,” said Jimmy Whitworth, emeritus professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, adding that an estimated 10 million doses of vaccine would be needed to deal with the outbreak.
Bavaria Nordic CEO Paul Chaplin Tell The Financial Times said the company could increase vaccine supply to 2 million doses by the end of this year and 10 million doses by the end of 2025 if the government places orders. “We have the capacity, but we need people to start placing orders soon,” he said.
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