Over 16,000 monkeypox infections have been confirmed in 68 countries as of July 22, 2022, with most infections occurring in men who are in a sexual relationship with men.

She said that at the moment, the monkeypox outbreak should be prevented from becoming a pandemic, and that it has been 'caught'' early. She explained that it is clear that monkeypox is a different virus and will not mutate at the same rate as SARS-CoV-2.ĭr Swaminathan added that sequencing needs to be performed, and the data must be shared globally. Replying to a question on whether monkeypox can be more severe than the new mutant strain of Covid-19, the WHO Chief Scientist said there can be no straight comparison. Can Monkeypox Be More Severe Than New Mutant Strain Of Covid-19? so something we need to explore is if we can get the fill and finish done for example at SII (Pune-based Serum Institute of India), but if we also can transfer technology and start the manufacturing in other sites,' Dr Swaminathan told NDTV. The US has donated some of those doses to some other countries. So yes, Bavarian Nordic has 16 million doses, which is part of the US stockpile. India will play a very important role just because of the capacity we have. 'We have been talking about a pandemic preparedness and one of the things is how quickly we can scale up manufacturing. Since there is no efficacy data about the vaccine, Dr Swaminathan said there is an 'urgent need to collect data'.Īccording to the NDTV report, the WHO Chief Scientist said that Indian pharmaceutical companies including the Serum Institute of India (SII) could have a role in bottling, marketing, and distributing the existing smallpox vaccine if it were widely available.

Countries have been stockpiling these vaccines in case there is a smallpox outbreak, biological or accidental,' Dr Swaminathan said.ĪLSO READ: EXPLAINED | Is There A Treatment For Monkeypox? See List Of Therapeutics And Vaccines Availableĭenmark-based company Bavarian Nordic's Imvanex has received approval from the EMA to be marketed as protection against monkeypox, media reports said. 'The vaccine we have today for smallpox, the second and third generation vaccines, but there are very limited doses.

More Data About Monkeypox Vaccine Required, Says Dr Swaminathanĭr Swaminathan said that it may be useful to use the smallpox vaccine for monkeypox but more laboratory data is required. The Orthopoxvirus genus includes variola virus, which causes smallpox, vaccinia virus, which is used in the smallpox vaccine, and cowpox virus. The monkeypox virus belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae, and was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research.ĪLSO READ | Explained: What Is Monkeypox? However, some individuals can suffer from severe illness. Most people recover from monkeypox within a few weeks as it is usually a mild self-limiting illness. Monkeypox is a rare zoonotic disease (infectious disease that is transmitted between species from animals to humans or from humans to animals) caused by infection with monkeypox virus, and does not spread easily between people. 'This monkeypox outbreak has been a wake-up call for us, because we need to prepare ourselves for deadly outbreaks all the time,' Dr Swaminathan was quoted as saying in an NDTV report. This year, the European Medical Association (EMA) licensed an antiviral agent known as tecovirimat, that was developed for smallpox. Smallpox vaccines are believed to have the potential to control a monkeypox outbreak. In an exclusive interview to NDTV, Dr Swaminathan highlighted the fact that smallpox vaccination programmes have been stopped since 1979-1980. Dr Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO), said Monday that the monkeypox outbreak has been a 'wake-up call'.

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