Monkeypox not concerning as vaccine available: GlobalData

Even though monkeypox is the largest outbreak in Europe, this is a rare and manageable disease that most frequently occurs in animal-to-human contact, according to Emily Martyn, MPH, Healthcare Analyst, GlobalData.

“Human-to-human transmission only occurs in approximately 28 per cent of cases, and this is with very close contact to the infected person (such as via bodily fluids),” Martyn said.

“A vaccine does exist. The vaccine, Jynneos, is developed by the European biotech firm Bavarian Nordic. It is a live attenuated vaccine that also provides immunity against smallpox. Many countries are now buying units just in case of larger outbreaks. In addition, monkeypox is manageable as it is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting between two to four weeks. Symptoms are mainly managed with antibiotics and hydration therapy,” she added.

She also said, “Additionally, national and international health services can utilise their existing COVID-19 systems to work together to address and control this issue quickly and effectively. For now, people should be aware of the outbreak but do not need to be overly concerned until more information is analysed and we understand the outbreak further as we are still in the early days for an outbreak of a very difficult-to-transmit disease.”