One as-yet unknown, however, is who would be eligible for vaccination. While the 2022 outbreak circulated predominantly among men who have sex with men, the clade I outbreak is more prevalent among children — for whom Imvanex is not authorized in Europe.
Be prepared
But it’s not only vaccines that will prevent and contain an outbreak in Europe.
The U.K. government issued an “urgent public health message” to health care providers and clinicians to ensure they have enough personal protective equipment (PPE), and that relevant staff are trained in its use for the assessment and treatment of patients presenting suspected clade I infection.
Meanwhile in Denmark, its infectious diseases institute said that it was “following the development closely,” but added that the risk in Denmark had been assessed as “very small.”
Europe’s health security committee will meet on Aug. 19 to discuss “next steps and support member states in ensuring a coordinated response at EU level,” the European Commission told POLITICO. This committee comprises EU countries’ health ministry reps, as well as some national public health institutes.
The ECDC said its experts have been working with partners at Africa CDC to support their outbreak response, looking to identify gaps in the knowledge of the clade I mpox variant and guide future research.
They are also supporting an in-action review of the mpox outbreak response in the DRC to inform preparedness and response activities.
