The number of ampox cases has increased so rapidly that the World Health Organization (WHO) has again declared it a public health emergency. This is the second time the disease has been called a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).

After first being identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970, the disease has spread to neighboring countries, breaking continental barriers and reaching the US and Europe. It was also detected in India in 2022. So far, ampox has spread to 116 countries.

Is there a vaccine for ampox?

Two vaccines (ZYNNEOS and ACAM2000) are currently being used for ampox, which have been recommended by experts at the World Health Organization and approved by health authorities in several countries, including Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

ZNEOS, which is manufactured as the MVA-BN vaccine (modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic), is also sold under other names such as Imvammune and Imvanex. It has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

ACAM2000 has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) against smallpox and is available for mpox vaccination.

However, JYNNEOS appears to cause fewer serious adverse events than ACAM2000.

In January 2022, the EMA approved tecovirimat, an antiviral originally developed to treat smallpox, for the treatment of ampox in exceptional circumstances.

The LC-16 vaccine has also been approved by the World Health Organization. Made by KM Biologics in Japan, it is a weakened, partially replicated version of the Lister strain of vaccinia virus and is a third-generation smallpox vaccine.

In November 2022, OrthopoxVac was licensed in the Russian Federation for vaccination against smallpox, ampoxvirus and other orthopoxviruses in accordance with the rules for registration of medicines of the Eurasian Economic Union.

Earlier, the Director-General initiated the process for emergency approval of these vaccines, which will make it easier for low-income countries to access them, even if they have not yet given their national approval.

According to the WHO, this “emergency approval” also allows organisations such as Gavi and UNICEF to purchase and distribute vaccines.

More information about MPOX

Ampox, formerly called monkeypox but renamed by the WHO to remove the stigma attached to it, belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus of the Poxviridae family.

This virus family has caused other diseases such as smallpox, cowpox, vaccinia, etc.

Since it is a zoonotic disease, it can spread from animals to humans. Human-to-human transmission occurs through direct contact by touching the skin, rash, or scabs of a person infected with ampox.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the disease can be spread through contact with saliva, upper respiratory secretions (snot, mucus) and bodily fluids or sores around the anus, rectum or vagina of a person with ampox.

Pregnant women with ampox can pass the virus to a fetus during pregnancy or to a newborn baby during or after birth.