In the event of a return of monkeypox, HAS recommends different vaccination strategies based on the number of cases.
According to the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS), France should stockpile anti-smallpox vaccines to prepare for future outbreaks of monkeypox, even though the State has always maintained vagueness regarding the actual state of the vaccine reserves. The authority that guides public health policy recommends building up strategic stocks of third-generation smallpox vaccines.
In 2022, Europe and America will be hit by an epidemic
A monkeypox epidemic broke out in several European and American countries in 2022. This outbreak, which affected mostly men who had sex with men, has since mostly subsided.
However, authorities are trying to determine how to deal with future epidemics of this disease. Which causes fever and skin lesions. Based on the encouraging data on their effectiveness against smallpox, the HAS recommends that the latest generation smallpox vaccines be used, as was the case last year.
The peak of monkeypox in France appears to have passed:
Alternatively, she believes this disease does not warrant the use of older smallpox vaccines. These vaccines, known as the first and second generations, carry a high risk of side effects.
While France appears to have been able to organize an effective vaccination campaign against the 2022 epidemic, the level of vaccine stocks remains uncertain. The State hides behind defense secrecy, unlike other countries.
Vaccination strategies that differ:
If MPox returns, the HAS recommends different vaccination strategies, depending on how serious the cases are. Only those who have been in contact with sick people should be vaccinated if they remain “isolated or dispersed”. Vaccination should occur between four and 14 days after the contact.
However, if the cases become “numerous and simultaneous” again, it would be necessary to switch to a “preventive” vaccination for people deemed at risk of exposure, as well as caregivers.
Advised by the editorial staff to:
- Monkeypox: the European Union places a large order of vaccines.
- Roche: authorization in the United States of a screening test for monkeypox
- Monkeypox: WHO maintains maximum health alert.