Listen to Story There has been a sharp rise in cases of mpox to such an extent that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared it a public health emergency again. This is the second time, the disease has been termed as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). First identified in 1970, in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the disease spread to neighbouring countries soon, breaking continent barriers, reaching America and Europe.
It was also detected in India in 2022. Till now, mpox has spread to 116 countries . IS THERE A VACCINE FOR MPOX? There are currently two vaccines (JYNNEOS and ACAM2000) being used for mpox, recommended by WHO experts and approved by health authorities in several countries, including Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
JYNNEOS, manufactured as the MVA-BN vaccine (Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic), is also marketed under other names like Imvamune, and Imvanex. It is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the EMA. ACAM2000 is approved by the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) against smallpox and available for mpox vaccination .
However, JYNNEOS produces fewer serious adverse events than ACAM2000. In January 2022, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved tecovirimat, an antiviral originally developed to treat smallpox, for the treatment of mpox under exceptional circumstances. LC-16 vaccine has also been approved by WHO.
It is produced by KM Biologics in Japan, is a weakened, partially replicating version of the Lister strain of the vaccinia virus and a third-generation smallpox vaccine. In November 2022, OrthopoxVac was licensed in the Russian Federation for immunization against smallpox, mpox and other orthopoxviruses according to the rules for registration of medicines of the Eurasian Economic Union. Earlier, the Director-General started the process for emergency approval of these vaccines, which will make it easier for lower-income countries to access them, even if they haven't given their own national approval yet.
As per WHO, this "emergency approval" also allows organisations like Gavi and UNICEF to buy and distribute the vaccines. MORE ABOUT MPOX Mpox, formerly called monkeypox before the WHO changed its name to remove the stigma attached to it, is a belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus of Poxviridae family. This virus family has caused other diseases like smallpox, cowpox, vaccinia and more.
Since it is a zoonotic disease, it can be transferred from animals to humans. Human-to-human transmission occurs direct contact skin touch with mpox rash or scabs from a person with mpox. According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it can be transmitted via contact with saliva, upper respiratory secretions (snot, mucus), and bodily fluids or lesions around the anus, rectum, or vagina from a person with mpox.
Pregnant women with mpox can pass the virus to the fetus during pregnancy or to the newborn during and after birth..
