Vaxxing to elimination: smallpox vaccines as tools to fight mpox

An outbreak of monkeypox (mpox) virus emerged on the global landscape in May 2022 and rapidly spread to several nonendemic countries in every WHO health region. To date, over 80,000 cases have been reported, mostly concentrated in North America, Brazil, and Western Europe. After an initial period of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of clinical investigation 2023-01, Vol.133 (2), p.1-4
Main Authors: Titanji, Boghuma K, Marconi, Vincent C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior modification
Biomedical research
Disease transmission
Epidemics
Health aspects
Health care
Herd immunity
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus
Human monkeypox
Humans
Immune system
Infection
Infections
Mpox
Mpox (monkeypox) - prevention & control
Outbreaks
Prevention
Public health
Smallpox
Smallpox Vaccine
Surveillance
Vaccination
Vaccines
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Summary:An outbreak of monkeypox (mpox) virus emerged on the global landscape in May 2022 and rapidly spread to several nonendemic countries in every WHO health region. To date, over 80,000 cases have been reported, mostly concentrated in North America, Brazil, and Western Europe. After an initial period of relatively rapid spread, which earned the outbreak the designation of a public health emergency of international concern, case numbers have steadily declined, especially in high-income countries. This decline in new cases can be attributed to rapid rollout of vaccines, growing herd immunity built by the rapid spread of infection in individuals considered at highest risk, and behavior modification. There has also likely been a herd effect, with nonvaccinated individuals benefiting from the interruption of transmission among vaccinated individuals. Here, Titanji and Marconi discuss what is known about the effectiveness of the available vaccines, emerging data on their use and effectiveness in the current mpox outbreak, and how vaccines fit into the ambitious but more realistic goal of eliminating mpox in newly affected countries and reducing its impact on public health in endemic countries.
ISSN:1558-8238
0021-9738
1558-8238
DOI:10.1172/JCI167632