Supplies of monkeypox vaccine 'limited', warns WHO

The WHO has estimated that 10m vaccine doses are needed to curtail the monkeypox outbreak, but just 1.5m vials are available globally.

Supplies of a vaccine to prevent monkeypox are “limited” as an analysis shows just 1.5m vials are available globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.

More than 40,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported to the WHO to date, which includes 113 cases in Ireland.

“Vaccines are an additional, supplementary tool,” said the WHO’s regional director in the Mediterranean, Ahmed Al-Mandhari.

“As of now, vaccine supplies are limited, and we still do not know to what extent the vaccine works.” 

Worldwide, there are only an estimated 1.5m vials of a vaccine, manufactured by Bavarian Nordic, either administered or currently available in the 10 worst-affected countries, according to a Reuters analysis, published on Tuesday.

These 10 countries account for almost 90% of cases, but most of the doses are in America, the news agency found.

The WHO has previously estimated that 10m doses are needed to curtail the outbreak.

In addition to vaccines, the WHO called for more risk-awareness campaigns.

“Information is a powerful tool: those most at risk need to have information on how to protect themselves and others,” said Dr Al-Mandhari.

Every effort must be made to control human-to-human spread of monkeypox through early case finding and diagnosis, isolation, and contact tracing.” 

Up to the weekend, an additional 993 monkeypox cases were identified across Europe, bringing the total to 16,162 cases from 29 countries, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Among these, two people have died, and there have been “a few severe cases” including people who developed encephalitis or inflammation of the brain.

“Early diagnosis, isolation, effective contact tracing, and vaccination strategies are key for the effective control of this outbreak,” said the ECDC.

It also advised that a mass vaccination programme is not required, instead advising health authorities to target support for affected communities.

Following one report from France of possible human-to-dog transmission as a household contact, the ECDC has advised infected people to avoid contact with animals.

The HSE last week announced the start of a vaccination programme. However, it said current supplies only allow for 10% of the estimated 6,000 at-risk people to get vaccinated in this opening round.

Some 600 people are being contacted by health services; however, advocates for the gbMSM (gay, bisexual, men who have sex with men) communities have urged greater investment in vaccine stocks.