The UK doesn’t have enough vaccinations for spreading monkeypox virus

Although 150,000 doses to treat the spreading monkeypox virus have been ordered in the UK, only 50,000 are currently available as 100,000 doses remain in production. So far, 25,000 people have been vaccinated in the UK to contain the monkeypox outbreak. 

Professor Dame Jenny Harris, lecturer in cancer care at the University of Surrey, has assured the BBC that the maximum number of vaccines available are being procured. However, the UK is slacking in comparison to the US, which currently has hundreds of thousands of vaccines against monkeypox available. 

The vaccine strategy in the US was announced on June 28 2022 to roll out the JYNNEOS vaccine and ACAM2000, both of which are normally used for the prevention of smallpox but have been deemed suitable to combat monkeypox as well, as the viruses that causes both conditions share similarities. 

Harris warns that due to shortages and delays in supply, there may be a period of 3-4 weeks where vaccines run out in some areas, according to the BBC. She has ensured that those at risk of the monkeypox virus who need the vaccine will be able to get it after this period of delay as long as they register for it. 

Current eligibility criteria in the UK qualifies gay, bisexual or men who have sex with other men, transgender, gender non-conforming or gender non-binary people 18 years or older, or those who have had multiple or anonymous sexual partners in the last 14 days for the vaccine. 

The vaccine being rolled out in Scotland contains a modified virus to prevent the growth of monkeypox in the body. This Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) is a much safer form of the smallpox vaccine, according to nhsinform.scot

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