The World Health Organisation said that it does not recommend mass vaccination against monkeypox amid outbreak in 78 countries.
Monkeypox has been declared a global health emergency by WHO. (Image: Reuters)
The World Health Organisation said that it does not recommend mass vaccination against monkeypox. This comes as more than 18,000 cases have been reported from 78 countries.
“WHO recommends targeted vaccination for those exposed to someone with monkeypox, and for those at high risk of exposure, including health workers, some lab workers, and those with multiple sexual partners. At this time, we do not recommend mass vaccination against monkeypox,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.
This comes days after the world health body declared monkeypox a global health emergency.
“This is an outbreak that can be stopped, if countries, communities and individuals inform themselves, take the risks seriously, and take the steps needed to stop transmission and protect vulnerable groups,” Dr Tedros said.
Talking about vaccines against monkeypox, the WHO chief said, “One smallpox vaccine, called MVA-BN, has been approved in Canada, the European Union and the US for use against monkeypox. Two other vaccines, LC16 and ACAM2000, are also being considered for use against monkeypox.”
However, Dr Tedros said that there is still lack of data on the effectiveness of vaccines for monkeypox, or how many doses might be needed.
“That’s why we urge all countries that are using vaccines to collect and share critical data on their effectiveness,” Dr Tedros said.
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