The European Union plans to purchase 110,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine

The European Union plans to purchase 110,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine, an agreement could be signed on Thursday.

This was stated by EU Commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides.

The first doses from the ordered volume are expected to arrive by the end of June.

Kyriakides noted that 900 cases of monkeypox are currently known in the EU, and about 1,400 in the world.

It is not yet known which manufacturer may be contracted and whether it is a conventional smallpox vaccine that is effective, including against monkeypox or an adapted drug.

Smallpox is a rare disease that is common in West and Central Africa, but in recent weeks has been reported in many countries outside the continent. The disease is transmitted through close physical contact. The group at increased risk in the context of the latest outbreak is considered to be men who have sex with men.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control considers the risk of large-scale apes spreading to the general population to be low.

In connection with the outbreak, Germany considers vaccination among groups at increased risk of exposure to the virus – as employees of specialized laboratories.