Vaccination and Counter Measures Against Monkeypox

Highlights:

Monkeypox is caused by the monkeypox virus, which is a viral zoonotic disease meaning that it is usually transmitted from animals to humans and also through close contact with an infected person.
The clinical profile of monkeypox resembles that of smallpox, a related viral infection that was eradicated globally in 1980.
Symptoms include fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and a skin rash or lesions.
The prognosis depends on various factors like previous vaccination status, initial health condition, co-morbidities and treatment taken

There is no specific treatment for monkeypox (). As monkeypox and smallpox viruses are genetically identical, the antiviral drugs and vaccines used against smallpox may prevent and treat monkeypox infections ().

Treating Monkeypox With Antiviral Drugs Might be Effective
A new study found little evidence of antiviral drugs in the treatment of monkeypox viral infection outbreaks but further research would be warranted.

‘The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently developing an investigational new drug application to help facilitate the use of Brincidofovir for monkeypox’
Read More..

Tweet it Now

Vaccines Against Monkeypox

JYNNEOS or Imvamune or Imvanex
: This vaccine has been licensed in the United States to prevent monkeypox and smallpox. As the monkeypox virus is closely related to the smallpox virus, the smallpox vaccine can also protect people from getting monkeypox. It is administered as a live virus that is non-replicating, as two subcutaneous injections four weeks apart. People with this vaccine are not considered vaccinated until two weeks after receiving the second dose of the vaccine (3^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Interim Clinical Guidance for the Treatment of Monkeypox

Go to source).
ACAM2000 vaccine :
This vaccine can be used in individuals exposed to monkeypox if used under an expanded access investigational new drug protocol. It contains a live virus. It is approved for vaccination in individuals aged above 18 years who are at high risk for smallpox infection. After vaccination, a lesion will develop at the site of the vaccination. The virus grows at the site and can spread to other body parts or close contacts.
Vaccinia Immune Globulin (VIG):
Health care providers may consider VIG use in severe monkeypox cases. VIG can be considered for prophylactic purposes in patients with severe immunodeficiency, for which smallpox vaccination is contraindicated after exposure to the monkeypox virus.

Experts believe vaccination after a monkeypox exposure may help prevent or cause the disease to become less severe.

Receiving Vaccine After Exposure to Monkeypox

Persons exposed to the monkeypox virus and who have not received the smallpox vaccine within the last three years should consider getting vaccinated.

The sooner an exposed individual gets the vaccine, the better. CDC recommends providing vaccine within four days from the date of exposure. Given during 4 to 14 days, vaccination may decrease the symptoms of the disease but may not prevent the disease.

Guidelines Issued by the Indian Government Due to Monkeypox Outbreak
The Union Ministry of Health issued guidelines for the monitoring and management of the monkeypox, a virus that has caused human infections in 25 countries.

Available Medical Countermeasures for Monkeypox

Currently, there is no approved specific treatment for monkeypox. But antivirals developed for smallpox may provide some benefits ().

The following counter measures are currently available from the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS):

Tecovirimat or TPOXX, ST-246
: It is an antiviral drug approved by the U.S. FDA for treating smallpox in children and adults. This medication is available as a pill or an injection (4^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Highlights of Prescribing Information

Go to source).
Cidofovir
: It is an antiviral drug that is used for treating Cytomegalovirus(CMV) retinitis (inflammation of the inner layer of the eye) in patients with AIDS/HIV.
Brincidofovir
: It is an antiviral drug that is approved by the U.S. FDA for treating human smallpox in adults and children, including neonates.

Brincidofovir has an improved safety profile over Cidofovir. Although human studies are lacking, Cidofovir and Brincidofovir have proven activity against poxviruses in in-vitro and animal studies.

References:

Monkeypox - (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/monkeypox)
Treatment - (https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/treatment.html)
Interim Clinical Guidance for the Treatment of Monkeypox - (https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/clinicians/treatment.html#:~:text=At%20this%20time%2C%20there%20are,to%20control%20a%20monkeypox%20outbreak)
Highlights of Prescribing Information - (https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2018/208627s000lbl.pdf)

Source-Medindia

Experts Say Monkeypox Patients Could be Infectious for Up to 4 Weeks
Monkeypox patients could pass on the infection for four weeks after symptoms appear. The period raises the likelihood that infected patients pass on the virus.