LONDON (AP) — British health authorities will begin offering eligible people just a fraction of the normal dose of monkeypox vaccine to stretch supplies about fivefold, in line with similar decisions to expand available doses in Europe and the USA
In a statement on Monday, Britain’s Health Safety Agency said patients at clinics in Manchester and London would soon receive just a fifth of the usual dose of monkeypox vaccine as part of ongoing research , citing previous work suggesting that the smaller dose provided as effective an immune response as a full immune response. dose
Last week, the European Medicines Agency authorized the movement of its 27 members across the continent, echoing a decision taken by US regulators earlier this month.
“Adopting this proven technique will help maximize the reach of our remaining stock,” said Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunization at Britain’s Health Safety Agency. He said the reduced doses would allow health workers to vaccinate “many more thousands of people”.
Last week, British officials said there were early signs that the monkeypox outbreak is slowing and that the number of cases is falling. Nearly 3,200 cases have been reported in the UK since May, with 99% of infections among men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with men. Around 70% of cases are in London.
Last week, UK authorities said more than 35,000 vaccines had been administered, mainly to men who have sex with men, their close contacts and healthcare workers.
Globally, the supply of monkeypox vaccines is extremely limited. There is only one supplier — Denmark’s Bavarian Nordic — and most doses have already been bought by the US, Canada, Europe and other rich countries.
Bavarian Nordic estimated that its production capacity for this year was about 30 million doses. So far, no monkeypox vaccines have been allocated in Africa, which has reported more than 70 suspected deaths, the highest number anywhere.
To date, more than 41,000 cases of monkeypox have appeared worldwide in 94 countries. The World Health Organization and other health agencies do not recommend mass vaccination, but have advised countries to improve smallpox surveillance, testing and encouraged other measures to slow the spread of the disease.
The WHO has recommended that men at high risk of the disease consider temporarily reducing their number of sexual partners or abstaining from group or anonymous sex.
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