The British government has ordered more than 150,000 doses of Bavarian Nordic’s MPOX vaccine to boost its preparedness against a new form of the virus currently spreading in African countries.
While no cases of I mpox clade have yet been detected in the UK, the strain has spread rapidly outside the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the latest outbreak occurred, and among its neighbours.
“We are preparing for any cases that may arise in the UK and vaccination plays a vital role in our defences,” said Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser to the UK’s Health Security Agency.
The government plans to offer the vaccine to eligible people in phases and based on clinical need.
It has decided to offer vaccination to gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, certain health professionals, health specialists and aid workers travelling to affected countries, as well as close contacts of a confirmed smallpox case.
Last Friday, the World Health Organization approved Bavarian Nordic’s vaccine and set up a program to help the most vulnerable people in the world’s poorest countries access the vaccine, tests and other treatments.
Some countries have pledged to donate doses of smallpox vaccine to countries in Africa.
The European Union has pledged to share 215,000 doses with affected African countries and has also urged its members to coordinate their donations rather than making them individually.
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