Monkeypox cases increase; Moderna begins early vaccine trials

Moderna announced that it is testing potential vaccines against the virus in the United States and Europe following the spread of monkeypox.

The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that there have been 131 confirmed cases of monkeypox and 106 suspected cases since the first case was reported outside countries where the virus usually spreads on May 7.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that one confirmed case of monkeypox and four suspected cases of the disease have been observed in the United States.

The center's sequencing of the confirmed sample in Massachusetts after 48 hours confirmed that the infection matched the case observed in Portugal.

In Massachusetts, about 200 people who may have been exposed are being monitored.

The health agency also said the US government is distributing a smallpox vaccine called Jynneos, made by the biotechnology company Bavarian Nordic, to protect against monkeypox.

In the United States, the two-dose vaccine is licensed for smallpox prevention, which is also used for monkeypox. More than 1,000 doses of the vaccine are currently available for use.

There is also an older vaccine called ACAM2000 in the US that can prevent monkeypox, and more than 100 million doses are ready for use.

The Danish Health Authority will also provide vaccines produced by the Bavarian Nordic company to people who have had close contact with people infected with monkeypox, after confirming two cases.

The World Health Organization has also said that monkeypox can be contained in countries outside Africa where the virus is not usually prevalent.

Although the number of monkeypox cases is expected to continue to rise, experts say the overall risk to the general population is very low.

This virus is usually found in remote areas of central and western Africa.

In response to the increase in monkeypox cases in several countries around the world, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a "Level 2" travel health alert, emphasizing that cases of monkeypox have been reported in Europe, North America, and Australia.

The center has advised travelers to constantly wash their hands with soap and water or use sanitizer.

The agency has also stressed that the risk of the disease to the "general public" is low.

People vulnerable to this virus are usually those who have a family member who is sick, have had sexual intercourse with an infected person, or have changed the bedding of a sick person without using protective equipment.

One way the monkeypox virus is transmitted is through respiratory secretions. The risk of infection through this route is greatest among relatives and close friends of the patient and medical staff.

In 2018, a variant of this smallpox was reported to have spread to a limited extent in countries such as the United Kingdom, Israel, and Singapore.

It is likely that social restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic played a significant role in the lack of widespread outbreaks of monkeypox during this period.

Source: Voice of America