In an effort to combat the current mpox outbreak, Emergent BioSolutions announced on Monday that it would send 50,000 doses of its smallpox vaccine to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as well as other affected nations Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.
Due to the fast spread of clade Ib, a novel virus type, throughout Africa, the World Health Organization this week declared mpox a worldwide public health emergency for the second time in the past two years.It is the first time the novel form has been observed outside of Africa; at least one case of the illness has been confirmed in Sweden.
The ACAM2000 vaccine from Emergent, which is licensed for smallpox, has been administered as an mpox injection; however, the FDA has not yet authorized its use against the virus.
The Danish biotech company Bavarian Nordic A/S’s (BAVA. CO) Jynneos vaccine, which is authorized for smallpox and mpox in the United States, has less known side effects and dangers than the live, replicating viral vaccine ACAM2000, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
One in every 175 newly administered ACAM2000 vaccination recipients is known to develop myocarditis/pericarditis, or swelling in or around the heart muscle, as per the FDA.
Using a two-pronged needle, the shot is administered by making several tiny punctures on the skin in place of an injection.It takes two to four weeks for the injection site to heal into a scab. It may transmit live virus to other areas of the body or to other persons until the scab falls off.
ACAM2000 is not advised for those with HIV or other immune system disorders.
