U.S. Buys 13 Million Doses of Monkeypox Vaccine
“The U.S. government has ordered millions of doses of a vaccine that protects against monkeypox. The news follows the first confirmed case in the states — a man in Massachusetts — following an outbreak in the U.K.
The order amounts to a $119 million order for Jynneos vaccines, which are used for the prevention of both smallpox and monkeypox. It was announced by biotechnology company Bavarian Nordic, which makes the vaccine, on Wednesday.
The order will convert bulk vaccines, which have already been made and invoiced under previous contracts with the U.S. government, into freeze-dried versions which have an improved shelf-life.
The total government contract with Bavarian Nordic amounts to $299 million, which would provide 13 million freeze-dried doses. It’s expected that the first doses will be manufactured by next year with further doses made in 2024 and 2025.”
WHO Reportedly Convening Emergency Meeting on Monkeypox
The WHO is reportedly convening an emergency meeting on the spread of monkeypox around the world—including a possible case in the Big Apple. The U.N.’s health authority is bringing together leading experts on the rare disease as a number of new countries announced their first confirmed cases Friday (May 20), according to the Telegraph.
The main concern is how the virus—usually concentrated in West Africa—may be spreading, the UK paper noted, with many of the new cases among people who had not recently traveled.
The WHO will also be examining why clusters include gay or bisexual men, the paper said, with the U.S. CDC giving similar warnings.
“Many of these global reports of monkeypox cases are occurring within sexual networks,” said Inger Damon, director of the CDC’s Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology. However, the CDC stressed that the concerns should not be limited to gay men, noting, “Those who have any sort of close personal contact with people with monkeypox could potentially also be at risk.” Read More NYT
