As a global outbreak of monkeypox cases is suspected, the United States is releasing the monkeypox vaccine from its Strategic National Stockpile.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Monday that there has been one confirmed case of monkeypox and four suspected cases.
“I can report that there has been a request to release the Jynneos vaccine from the National Stockpile for some of the high-risk contacts of some of the early patients, so that is active right now,” said Dr Jennifer McQuiston, deputy director of the CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases.
McQuiston said the United States has a “good stock” of vaccine because it has been preparing for the possibility of using doses for smallpox.
The Jynneos vaccine is licensed to prevent smallpox and specifically monkeypox in the United States.
We have over 1,000 doses available right now, and we expect that level to rise very quickly as the company provides more doses to us in the coming weeks,” McQuiston said.
She said there is another smallpox vaccine licensed in the United States, ACAM2000, which is used to prevent monkeypox, and the country has more than 100 million doses.
“ACAM2000 is an older-generation vaccine that has some potential side effects. Therefore, a decision to use it broadly would have to be seriously considered,” McQuiston said.
