USA might release monkeypox vaccine for high-risk contacts of early patients: CDC

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that currently, there is one confirmed case of monkeypox and four suspected cases in the United States.

"I can report that there has been a call for discharge of the Jynneos vaccine doses from the National Stockpile for some of the high-risk contacts of some of the early patients," Dr Jennifer McQuiston, deputy director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases' Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, said Monday.

According to McQuiston, the US has a "decent stock" of vaccination because it has been planning for the potential of having to utilise smallpox doses.

The two-dose Jynneos vaccine is approved for use in the United States to prevent smallpox and monkeypox.

"Right now, we have over 1,000 doses accessible, and we expect that figure to rapidly increase in the following weeks as the company gives more doses to us," McQuiston said.

She added there is another smallpox vaccine, ACAM2000, that may be used to prevent monkeypox in the United States, and the government has more than 100 million doses.

"ACAM2000 is a smallpox vaccination from a previous generation with some potentially serious side effects. As a result, deciding to utilise it widely would require some significant consideration, "According to McQuiston.

"We're attempting to optimise vaccination delivery to people we know will benefit," she said.

"Others are those who have had intimate personal contact with a known monkeypox patient, health care workers, and those who might be at high risk for severe disease," she added.

According to the CDC, the verified US monkeypox case is in a man from Massachusetts, while the four cases of orthopox are in males from New York, Florida, and Utah. Poxviruses, in general, are referred to as orthopox.

"There will almost certainly be more cases reported in the United States," she said.

The CDC expects to receive samples from the four probable cases "today or tomorrow" for additional investigation, according to McQuiston.

The CDC's Laboratory Response Network can screen for an orthopox virus, and then confirmation of monkeypox is done at the agency using PCR tests that take "a couple of hours," she said.

"We could run our monkeypox confirmatory PCR testing the same day as the CDC receives a specimen. We've seen turnaround times as short as a few days from the time a suspect patient is brought to a doctor's notice to the time they receive the initial state LRN laboratory results, "According to McQuiston.

The CDC sequenced the material from the confirmed case in Massachusetts "very quickly," and experts were able to see that it closely resembled one from Portugal within 48 hours.

"This process used to take up to two weeks, but we were able to get it posted in two days," McQuiston added.

Monkeypox is transferred through touch during sex, not through sex itself, according to Dr John Brooks, the CDC's senior medical officer of HIV prevention.

"Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted infection in the traditional sense," Brooks explained on Monday.

"However, it can be transferred through sexual and intimate content, as well as physical touch and sharing bedding and clothing. Many gay and bisexual males have been afflicted by the virus's latest outbreak," he claimed.

The rash is "coming up in different regions of the body than we normally expect to see it," according to Brooks, including the vaginal and perianal areas.

"It has resulted in anal or genital sores that resemble herpes, chickenpox, or syphilis in certain cases. So anyone who notices a rash or lesion around or involving their genitals, anus, or any other new location should be thoroughly investigated, not only for that rash but also for sexually transmitted infections and other conditions that might cause rash, "he outlined.