The Government has purchased more than 150,000 doses of mpox vaccine with plans to roll out a campaign to eligible group ‘in stages’.
While no cases of clade I mpox have been identified so far in the UK, there is ‘growing concern’ internationally about the spread of the disease after an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The vaccine will be offered ‘as it becomes available over time’ to eligible groups who are at ‘higher risk’ of coming into contact with mpox.
This includes:
- Gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) previously identified at higher risk as a continuation of the clade II mpox vaccination programme;
- Certain healthcare workers in agreed infectious diseases inpatient units and sexual health services;
- Certain specialist healthcare and humanitarian workers who go to affected countries to work within mpox response or sites with active outbreaks;
- Close contacts of a confirmed case.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended a vaccination programme for clade II mpox last year, following an outbreak in the UK in 2022, where cases were primarily identified among GBMSM.
There will be separate rollouts of clade I vaccination across the four devolved nations and further details ‘will be provided in due course’, according to the Government.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the purchase of vaccines from Bavarian Nordic ‘will help ensure the UK is well prepared for any cases of clade I mpox that may enter the country’.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said it will ‘boost the UK’s resilience’, alongside the Government’s efforts to provide ‘critical support to countries at the centre of the outbreak’.
‘No cases of clade I mpox have been detected in the UK, but we are taking steps to ensure the country is prepared with a robust vaccination programme that protects those who may be at high risk,’ Mr Streeting added.
UKHSA chief medical advisor Professor Susan Hopkins said that vaccination ‘plays a vital part’ in the country’s defences against the disease.
She continued: ‘Alongside vaccination, we have been working rapidly to ensure that clinicians are aware and able to recognise cases promptly, that rapid testing is available, and that protocols are developed for the safe clinical care of people who have the infection and the prevention of onward transmission.’
NHS England director of vaccinations Steve Russell said the health service is ‘fully prepared to roll out mpox vaccination at pace once again to priority groups’.
‘While the risk of catching mpox in the UK is low, vaccination offers a vital level of protection for those most likely to be exposed,’ he added.
Last month, GP practices were told to set up isolation procedures and check PPE stocks, as concerns after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a ‘public health emergency of international concern’.
