WASHINGTON: According to a statement released on Wednesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the monkeypox vaccine is quite efficient and can provide protection up to two weeks after the initial dosage.
According to a preliminary research published by the organisation, between July 31 and September 3, unvaccinated individuals had a 14-fold higher risk of contracting monkeypox disease than those who had had vaccinations, at least 14 days following their first dose.
The conclusions were drawn from confirmed cases from 32 different jurisdictions around the nation. More than 25,000 instances of the current outbreak, which started in May of this year and has mostly impacted men who have intimate contact with men, have been reported in the US.
During a press event, CDC director Rochelle Walensky said, “These new findings give us a level of cautious hope that the vaccine is performing as planned.”
She continued, “Even in light of these encouraging statistics, we highly advise people obtain two doses of the Jynneos vaccine spaced approximately 28 days apart to achieve permanent, enduring immune protection against monkeypox.
The Jynneos vaccine against monkeypox has been authorised, but there is still no estimate of its efficacy because past research only examined animals and analysed human immune response data.
Globally, more than 66,000 cases of monkeypox have been found, but the number of new infections has been declining since August.
With a focus on homosexual and bisexual males, transgender persons, and people of colour, the US has given out more than 680,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine.
Demetre Daskalakis, the deputy coordinator for the White House’s response to the monkeypox outbreak, said the rollout plan was entering a new stage in which the vaccine would be given to individuals before they had been exposed to the disease rather than following a known exposure.
According to him, “this new approach means that more individuals who may be at present-day or foreseeable risk for monkeypox now qualify for the vaccine.”
The new guidelines would enable medical professionals to deliver the vaccination in less obvious locations, such as the upper back or shoulder, as opposed to the forearm, he continued, helping to lessen stigma.