Is there a vaccine for monkey pox? [WE EXPLAIN]

The monkey pox virus has emerged in Europe. More countries report infections. There is also a growing need for vaccines against this disease. However, work is still underway, and some countries have decided to start vaccinating smallpox.

1. The monkey pox virus has appeared in several European countries: Great Britain, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Belgium and Germany. He has not yet reached Poland
2. There is no vaccine for monkey pox – says virologist prof. Włodzimierz Gut. Work on it is still in progress
3. According to the American CDC, the smallpox vaccine may be at least 85 percent. effective in the prevention of monkey pox, although there is still too little data on this
4. You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page

Monkey pox in Europe – more and more cases

More and more European countries report cases or suspicions of monkey pox. The disease appeared in Great Britain, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Germany and Belgium, and it also made its way to Canada, the United States and Australia. There is no official information about the disease in Poland yet.

Monkey pox is present mainly in West and Central Africa, it is caused by a rare virus similar to the black (true) pox virus, but its course is milder.

Vaccination against smallpox has begun in the UK among health workers likely to come into contact with the pathogen, and those potentially exposed to the virus will also be vaccinated. The United States has placed an order for 13 million doses of the vaccine produced by Bavarian Nordic. The company also announced that an undisclosed European country also wants to buy vaccines.

Is there a vaccine for monkey pox?

More and more countries will probably buy the smallpox vaccine. There is no vaccine against monkey pox at the moment.

– There is no vaccine for monkey pox. We have vaccinia, which was the smallpox vaccine, but it has been discontinued because it has a lot of complications. In addition, it is well tolerated by children, but worse by adults – says virologist Prof. Włodzimierz Gut.

«For the prevention of monkey pox and smallpox [they are related viruses], a vaccine known under the trade names JYNNEOSTM, Imvamune or Imvanex developed by Bavarian Nordic has been registered in the EU, USA and Canada. Currently, work is underway on a vaccine dedicated to monkey pox »- wrote prof. Agnieszka Szuster-Ciesielska, virologist and immunologist.

The vaccine against chicken pox, which is included in the compulsory vaccination schedule, also does not provide protection against monkey pox.

«Please do not confuse monkey pox and chicken pox with chicken pox – the viruses that cause them belong to two different virus families. For this reason, the varicella vaccine does not provide protection against the viral and simian pox virus (and vice versa) »- emphasizes prof. Szuster.

Can I get vaccinated against smallpox?

Prof. The smallpox vaccine, Gut says, would likely be effective against monkey pox as well, but the formulation has caused significant complications in the past.

—This disease was brought in 1967 during the last smallpox epidemic by a Pole returning from India. She was not recognized and one person became infected – a nurse, but neither was she recognized and died. Over 70 people attended the funeral. Some people, saying goodbye to the deceased, kissed her, that is, there was direct contact. One of the doctors from Wrocław recognized the disease and vaccinations were started. A total of 18 people died, including 9 from smallpox, but from a small infected population, and 9 after vaccination with vaccinia, explains Gut.

—In 1980, the end of smallpox was declared and has not been vaccinated since then. Smallpox has been in several labs. Then it was unfolded so that there was no infectious virus, but in order to guarantee the appeal material – he adds.

According to the American CDC, the smallpox vaccine may be at least 85 percent. effective in the prevention of monkey pox, although there is not much data on it.

– Currently, work is underway on a vaccine against monkey pox, but a vaccine and treatment against smallpox can be used to control any epidemic of monkey pox, but we do not know how effective it can be because it has never been tried – said Prof. Simon Clarke from the University of Reading in an interview with IFL Science.

Monkey pox – is it fatal?

Monkey pox is an infectious zoonotic disease caused by a virus of the genus Orthopoxvirus, belonging to the Poxviridae family. The reservoir and source of infection for humans are mainly rodents (especially squirrels), as well as monkeys. The most common infection occurs as a result of biting or direct contact with infected animals, their blood or body fluids.

Infection between humans is rare. Transmission of the pathogen occurs through damaged skin, mucous membranes, contact with body fluids, and also through prolonged face-to-face contact (respiratory transmission).

Monkey pox was first identified in monkeys in 1958. In humans it was confirmed in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Until recently, this smallpox was found in humans in several African countries (Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, DRC, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Nigeria, Congo, Sierra Leone and South Sudan), as well as in the United States and the UK. Britain.

The monkey pox mortality rate is 10 percent. (for comparison, with smallpox it was even 30%). The most recent cases in Europe, however, concern the West African variety, where the mortality rate is much lower, at around 1%.

Monkey pox – what is the treatment?

There is no dedicated treatment for monkey pox. Treatment is symptomatic. Antiviral drugs (cidofovir, brincidofovir, tecovirimat) demonstrated efficacy in in vitro studies on animal material.

– The course is usually moderate and recovery is achieved within a few weeks, although in some cases the course of the disease may be more severe. Special risk groups include zoo workers, veterinarians and people traveling to tropical countries, said Jan Bodnar, the then spokesman of the GIS, a few years ago.

– The disease is not easily transmitted between people, so the highest risk of infection concerns medical personnel directly caring for the sick – in the event of violating the rules of infection prevention, and the risk of spreading the disease in the population is very small – he reassured.

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