The fake vials labeled “Monkey Smallpox Vaccine” seen in this illustration were taken, May 25, 2022.
Dado Ruvic | Reuters
The United States will deploy nearly 300,000 doses of a smallpox vaccine in the coming weeks in an effort to contain an outbreak of the virus that continues to evolve.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people with confirmed or suspected exposure to monkeypox get vaccinated against the virus. According to the CDC, vaccination is recommended within two weeks of exposure to the virus, but the sooner the better.
The US will immediately ship 56,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine from the strategic national stockpile, followed by 240,000 doses in the coming weeks. A total of 1.6 million doses of Jynneos will be made available in the fall, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Jynneos is a two-dose vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration for adults 18 years of age and older who are at high risk of exposure to smallpox or monkeypox. HHS is prioritizing dose allocation of Jynneos to communities with the highest number of monkeypox cases as supplies remain limited.
Local health departments may also request shipments of older generation smallpox vaccine ACAM2000, for which the United States has a much larger supply. However, vaccines can have serious side effects and are not recommended for everyone.
According to the CDC, the United States has confirmed 306 cases of smallpox in 27 states and Washington, DC. The biggest outbreaks have been in California, Illinois and New York with dozens of confirmed infections in each of those states.
Worldwide, more than 4,700 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 49 countries. The current outbreak is unusual as it has mainly occurred in North American and European countries, rather than remote areas of West and Central Africa, where the virus has long circulated at low levels.
The World Health Organization says the outbreak is not a global public health emergency right now, but says the virus represents a growing threat that needs to be watched closely. tight.
Smallpox in monkeys is mainly spread by close physical contact, and in the current outbreak, sex is the main source of transmission. Currently, gay and bisexual men who have sex with multiple partners are among the most at-risk groups, according to the CDC.
Monkeypox usually begins with flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, chills, exhaustion, and swollen lymph nodes. A rash that looks like pimples or blisters then appears on the body. People are most contagious when they have a rash.
According to the CDC, some patients in the current outbreak only had a rash on the genitals or anus before any symptoms. In other cases, the patient developed a rash without any rash symptoms.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
