The EU commission has approved the vaccine Imvanex against monkeypox: as a spokesman for the European Commission confirmed, the authority followed a recommendation from the European Medicines Agency on Monday and approved the preparation of the company Bavarian Nordic to protect adults against monkeypox.
So far, the vaccine has only been approved at EU level to protect adults against smallpox. The current decision now applies to all 27 EU countries, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. On Friday, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in The Hague spoke out in favor of extending the approval to monkey pox. As a rule, the European Commission follows these decisions.
“Emergency of International Importance”
The EU had recently signed two contracts for a total of 163,620 doses of the Bavarian Nordic vaccine. In the US, the preparation is approved under the name Jynneos. EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides recently expressed concern about the rapidly increasing number of cases in the EU. The WHO declared the monkeypox outbreak this weekend an “emergency of international concern”.
A first delivery of 2340 doses of the vaccine arrived in Austria on Tuesday. A large shipment of Imvanex or Jynneos is expected in the coming weeks, the Ministry of Health reports. The National Vaccination Committee currently only recommends vaccination for certain risk groups.
The available doses are used as prophylaxis after contact with a sick person, for specialized laboratory personnel and for health care workers at high risk of infection.
Particularly affected by same-sex partners
Depending on availability, a vaccination can also be offered to people with individual risk behaviour. Risky behavior occurs when people have frequently varying sexual contact. In Austria, mainly men with same-sex partners are affected by monkey pox.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
