According to the most recent data, approximately 25,000 individuals have received the smallpox vaccination as part of the UK’s plan to control the monkeypox epidemic.
The NHS’s thousands of vaccinations, which are given to those who are most at risk of infection, should have a big influence on how quickly the virus spreads.
The smallpox vaccination is being prioritised for those males at greater risk of contracting the virus, as well as certain contacts of cases and some healthcare professionals.
While anybody may get monkeypox, cases in the UK are mostly among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM).
As of August 10th, about 27,000 individuals, including 25,325 GBMSM, have received vaccinations via the NHS and at sexual health facilities in England.
The remaining people are contacts of cases and those who got the vaccination as part of the healthcare worker programme.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) purchased 150,000 doses of the smallpox vaccine from the world’s largest producer in order to handle the current epidemic, which is one of the greatest numbers ever obtained.
To provide the greatest level of protection to the greatest number of eligible persons, the first supply of around 50,000 doses—the maximum quantity immediately available—has been pushed out at a rapid rate.
Due to the availability of vaccinations and the required time to develop new vaccines, there are supply concerns on a worldwide scale.
This implies that later in September, the additional batch of 100,000 dosages, which is being prepared to order, will be delivered.
The manufacturer and UKHSA are collaborating to hasten delivery as much as feasible.
Over 40,000 of the slightly more than 50,000 doses that have arrived have been made accessible to the NHS in England for distribution as part of the pre-exposure programme for GBMSM, for contacts of patients, and for select healthcare professionals.
Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Crown Dependencies will each get around 6,000.
By the end of the next week, UKHSA will have given the NHS access to all of the country’s remaining supply (about 5,000 doses as of August 11).
By the end of the month, the bulk of these doses will have been given to patients classified as being at greater risk if delivery continues at the NHS’s present speedy pace.
The NHS and local partners will continue to administer vaccinations in accordance with any remaining stocks until the arrival of additional doses in September.
They will also make sure that people who are not already in contact with services are aware of where and how to receive vaccine.
Services for sexual health will keep track of people who qualify so that they may be contacted for vaccination as soon as fresh supplies become available.
In order to make sure members of the GBMSM community are aware of the signs and symptoms of monkeypox, how to seek care if they have concerns, and how to get a vaccine, UKHSA will continue to engage with partners like Terrence Higgins Trust and a broad variety of additional partners.
Wait until you get an invitation from the NHS if you believe you could be eligible for a vaccine.
3,017 cases have been reported so far in the UK, which indicates that the epidemic is starting to slow down.
According to the most recent statistics (1–7 August), 29 cases on average per day are currently being confirmed, down from 52 cases per day during the last week of June.
Even while this is encouraging, further attention is advised since it’s too early to tell if this slowdown will last.
UKHSA’s Chief Executive, Dr. Jenny Harries, stated:
The most important way to protect those who are more likely to get monkeypox and to limit the outbreak is to ensure that all the vaccines available to us are in people’s arms as quickly as possible and are building protection across the community.
I’d like to thank all those who have isolated as part of this outbreak in order to limit transmission of the virus, the thousands of people who have come forward for vaccination and all those in the NHS and sexual health services who have ensured the rapid delivery of the available vaccine – this has strengthened our response to the current outbreak and should interrupt chains of transmission.
Jim McManus, President of The Association of Directors of Public Health, said:
Directors of Public Health are playing our part in efforts to deliver the vaccine to those who need it and we will continue to do so as long as stocks are available. We are also working with UKHSA and a range of partners nationally to help ensure that when more doses arrive, we will be able to deliver them as quickly, fairly and efficiently as possible.
In the meantime, it is vitally important that gay and bisexual men continue to access sexual health services, who are working incredibly hard to respond to the current outbreak of monkeypox alongside offering their usual services.
Dr Claire Dewsnap, British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) President, said:
It’s fantastic that thousands of vaccines have been delivered, we thank individuals in at-risk communities for stepping up to be vaccinated and services making huge efforts to get vaccine out. We have been advised that the next currently planned delivery of vaccine won’t be available until late September. BASHH is concerned about the time it will take to receive more vaccines and will continue to work hard with national agencies to make sure the next round of delivery is as smooth as possible.
Please be aware of the signs of monkeypox while you are awaiting your vaccination or after you have just had one, particularly if you have had a new or several sexual partners.
After having intimate contact with others, maintain examining yourself since symptoms might take up to 3 weeks to appear.
Please consult with a sexual health provider if you’re feeling sick.
Please take a break from sex and other intimate contact if you are a contact of a case, whether you were informed by a health protection team or directly by a former partner.
No vaccination has a 100% success rate. Even while taking the vaccination may not always protect against monkeypox, the symptoms are probably going to be less severe.
Your immune system is primed after the first dosage, allowing it to react to monkeypox much more swiftly.
The vaccine’s efficacy also takes time. After a few days, the amount of protection will begin to increase, and it should reach its peak after around 4 weeks.
Fever, headache, muscular pains, fatigue, enlarged lymph nodes, and the appearance of a fresh rash are typical signs and symptoms of monkeypox infection.
This could be a single blister-like spot (or a few), anus and its surrounding region, lesions in the mouth, or proctitis symptoms (anal or rectal pain or bleeding).
The UKHSA modified its advice for close contacts of confirmed cases of monkeypox in July.
Most close contacts no longer need to isolate for 21 days unless they exhibit symptoms due to the mounting evidence of how the monkeypox virus is spreading in this epidemic.