U.S. to get 36,000 more monkeypox vaccine doses this week, HHS says
By Julie Steenhuysen
(Reuters) -The Division of Well being and Human Providers (HHS) mentioned on Monday it had instructed monkeypox vaccine producer Bavarian Nordic to ship a further 36,000 doses this week as a part of a drawdown from a U.S. vaccine stockpile.
In a press release, HHS mentioned the doses can be added to the present 36,000 within the U.S. Strategic Nationwide Stockpile.
Bavarian Nordic’s vaccine, referred to as Jynneos, is permitted to deal with each monkeypox and smallpox.
The Danish firm, which developed the vaccine with the assist of HHS’ Biomedical Superior Analysis and Growth Authority, nonetheless has greater than 1 million government-owned doses of the vaccine available. One other 16.4 million doses of vaccine could possibly be completed if wanted, HHS mentioned.
Throughout a information briefing final week, HHS official Daybreak O’Connell mentioned Bavarian Nordic can retailer the vaccine at a decrease temperature than is feasible as soon as within the stockpile, extending the vaccine’s shelf life by about two years.
Along with the Bavarian Nordic vaccine, america has greater than 100 million doses of ACAM2000, a smallpox vaccine from Emergent BioSolutions Inc, that can be efficient in opposition to monkeypox.
As of June 3, the federal government has delivered about 1,200 vaccines and 100 programs of therapy inside america.
The USA has up to now 25 confirmed circumstances of monkeypox, in response to the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention. The company on Friday urged U.S. docs to check for monkeypox if they believe circumstances, saying there could also be community-level unfold however that the general public well being threat remained low.
Round 30 nations the place monkeypox just isn’t endemic have reported outbreaks of the viral illness, with greater than 911 confirmed or suspected circumstances largely in Europe, in response to the World Well being Group, Reuters reporting and native knowledge.
(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago and Susan Heavy and Rami Ayyub in Washington; Modifying by Invoice Berkrot)
