Is there an Mpox vaccine, and how does it work? All you need to know

Have vaccines for Mpox been developed? The short answer is yes, they have. The European Union, United States, Canada and others approved the use of the MVA-BN vaccine back in 2022 during the first declared global health emergency for Mpox. The long answer is a bit more complicated.

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) What are Mpox vaccines? Vaccines to protect against an Mpox infection do exist, but currently no available vaccines specifically target the monkeypox virus. How is this possible? The monkeypox virus belongs to a genus of viruses called Orthopoxvirus, which are all complex DNA viruses. Among others, viruses in this genus include the variola virus, which causes smallpox, the cowpox virus, and the vaccinia virus.

Viruses from this genus have a great share of genetic similarity, which makes it possible for vaccines developed against other viruses to also be used to protect from Mpox infection . How do Mpox vaccines work? Vaccines which protect against Mpox rely on a phenomenon called cross-reactivity. Cross-reactivity happens when different antigens — different species of viruses, for example — appear similar to our immune system.

Imagine this: As viruses from the Orthopoxvirus are structurally similar, if a person is infected by the variola virus, for example, the antibodies that their cells will produce against the virus will also be able to protect them against a monkeypox virus infection. Cross-rea.