Italy has begun its monkeypox vaccination campaign after reporting more than 500 cases of the virus, according to the health ministry.
The first doses were given on 8 August at the Spallanzani Hospital in Rome.
The country will be using the Jynneos (MVA-BN) vaccine, which was made for smallpox but has been approved by the European Medicines Agency for protection against monkeypox.
The campaign comes as vaccine supplies run low worldwide, with the number of cases continuing to rise.
In the UK, doses are currently being offered to some men who have sex with men who may be at hire risk of getting the virus, with the criteria used to assess who gets it being similar to that of PrEP.
As of 8 August, there are 2,914 confirmed and 103 highly probable monkeypox cases in the UK (3,017 in total), according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Of these, 2,883 are in England.
“While the most recent data suggests the growth of the outbreak has slowed, we continue to see new cases every day,” said Dr William Welfare, Incident Director at UKHSA.
“While anyone can get monkeypox, the majority of monkeypox cases in the UK continue to be in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, with the infection being passed on mainly through close contact in interconnected sexual networks.
“Please continue to be aware of symptoms, including rashes and blisters, particularly if you have recently had a new sexual partner.”
WATCH 👀 @teozka talks about the #monkyepox vaccine: who it’s being offered to currently and how they will be contacted to come forward.
Find out more about #monkeypox symptoms & what to do on the NHS website: https://t.co/FI7tEWwlZZ pic.twitter.com/hPJGy0S8Qz
— UK Health Security Agency (@UKHSA) August 9, 2022
More information on monkeypox can be found here.
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