Brussels: The European Union on Tuesday signed an agreement with Bavarian Nordic to supply about 110,000 doses of vaccines against monkeypox, the EU Commission and company said. EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said the vaccines would be purchased with EU funds and distributed to EU states.
The dosage is to be delivered proportionately to the population, starting with the states with the most urgent needs. The deliveries will start immediately and will be completed in the coming months, the company said.
It raised its outlook for this year’s financial results after a deal with the European Union and other smaller deals for its vaccine supply.
Nearly 900 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 19 EU countries And also in Norway and Iceland, which would be entitled to receive the dose even though they are not EU members, the commission said.
Vaccines from Danish biotech Bavarian Nordic, known as Imvanex in Europe and Genios in the United States, have been approved against smallpox. A vaccine against monkeypox is not yet authorized in the European Union, the EU Commission said.
“However, the smallpox vaccine also protects people from monkeypox, as this virus is closely related to the smallpox virus,” the commission said.
The commission said EU drug regulators are currently in talks with Bavarian Nordic for early approval of the vaccine.
Some EU states, including Germany and Spain, have already placed their orders for the monkeypox vaccine.
What is monkeypox disease?
Monkeypox is a rare viral infection similar to human smallpox. It was first discovered in 1958 in monkeys kept for research and in 1970 the first human case of monkeypox was reported. The disease mainly occurs in tropical rainforest regions of Central and West Africa.
The virus belongs to the family PoxviridaeIncluding the viruses that cause smallpox and smallpox.
What are the symptoms of monkeypox virus?
Monkeypox usually presents itself with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and can lead to a variety of medical complications. The disease is usually self-limiting with symptoms lasting two to four weeks. Serious cases can also happen. In recent times, the case fatality ratio has reportedly been around 3-6 per cent, but could be as high as 10 per cent. No deaths are reported in this current spread.
How is monkeypox spread?
Monkeypox is spread to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, or through material contaminated with the virus. It is reportedly spread by rodents such as rats, mice and squirrels.
Monkeypox disease is spread through wounds, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminants such as bedding.
Health officials have also noted that Some of these infections can be transmitted through sexual contact., The WHO said it was also investigating several cases of people identifying as gay or bisexual.
However, the virus is said to be less contagious than smallpox and cause less severe illness.
How are patients with monkeypox treated?
Vaccines used during the smallpox eradication program also provided protection against monkeypox. New vaccines have been developed, one of which has been approved for disease prevention. According to the WHO, an antiviral agent developed to treat smallpox has also been licensed to treat monkeypox.