The UK government has ordered more than 150,000 doses of Bavarian Nordic’s mpox vaccine to strengthen its preparedness against a new strain of the virus currently spreading in African countries.
Although no cases of clade I mpox have been detected in the UK, the strain has been spreading rapidly outside the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the outbreak originated, affecting neighbouring countries, reports Reuters.
“We are preparing for any cases that we might see in the UK, and vaccination plays a vital part in our defenses,” said Susan Hopkins, chief medical advisor at the UK Health Security Agency.
The government plans to roll out the vaccine to eligible groups in stages, prioritizing clinical needs. Those set to receive the vaccine include gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men, certain healthcare workers, specialist humanitarian workers travelling to affected countries, and close contacts of confirmed mpox cases.
Last week, the World Health Organisation approved Bavarian Nordic’s vaccine and established a program to provide vaccines, tests, and other treatments to vulnerable populations in the world’s poorest countries.
Several countries, including EU members, have pledged to donate doses to African nations affected by the mpox outbreak. The European Union has committed to sharing 215,000 doses and has encouraged member states to coordinate their donations rather than acting individually.