A sharp rise in cases of ampox has led the World Health Organization, or WHO, to declare it a public health emergency again – for the second time this year. First identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970, the disease has spread to neighboring countries, breaking continental barriers and reaching the US and Europe. In 2022, it was also detected in India.

According to latest reports, a life-threatening and new deadly variant of the highly contagious viral disease has spread from Europe to Pakistan and Sweden – after a 34-year-old man who recently returned from Saudi Arabia tested positive for the virus.

Is there a vaccine for ampox?,

Currently, two vaccines are being used for ampox – ZNEOS and ACAM2000 – which have been recommended by experts at the World Health Organization and approved by health authorities in several countries, including Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

ZNEOS, which is manufactured as the MVA-BN vaccine (modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic), is also sold under other names such as Imvammune and Imvanex. It is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency.

Dr Tushar Tayal, Consultant, Internal Medicine, CK Birla Hospital, told Times Now, “The MPOX vaccine is a third-generation vaccine based on a live, weakened orthopoxvirus known as Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA). MVA is a live virus that does not replicate efficiently in humans.”

According to Dr Tayal, live attenuated vaccines work by using a weakened form of the disease-causing germ – virus or bacteria.

How does the Ampox vaccine work?,

This vaccine is used to administer the vaccine under the skin to individuals aged 18 years and above. “Once administered, the weakened pathogen replicates in the body, but because it is weakened, it does not cause full-blown disease,” said Dr. Tayal. The immune system recognizes the pathogen as a foreign invader and forms memory cells that “remember” the pathogen. This way, if the person is exposed to the natural, more virulent form of the pathogen in the future, his or her immune system can quickly recognize and attack it, preventing disease.

When the current outbreak of ampox began in 2022, JYNNEOS was the primary vaccine used in the US. This vaccine is administered as a series of two doses, given 28 days or 4 weeks apart.

Is this vaccine available in India?

According to Dr. Tayal, this vaccine is not yet available in India. He said, “However, given the recent declaration of MPOX as a global health emergency, its rapid spread in the African continent and the possibility of global infection, it is likely that this vaccine will soon be available in India as well.”

What is Mpox?

Ampox, belonging to the Orthopoxvirus genus, is known for causing raised rash-like diseases on the skin in both humans and animals. Doctors say these bumps often contain fluid or pus, which eventually scab over and heal.

The virus spreads primarily through close contact with an infected animal or person. Human-to-human transmission occurs through direct contact with an infected person’s skin lesions, body fluids or respiratory droplets and by touching contaminated objects. Symptoms of ampox usually appear between three and 21 days after contact and may last two to four weeks.

Although ampox is usually a self-limited disease, it causes a number of other life-threatening complications that can be fatal.

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