Jynneos vaccine offers strong protection against mpox infection: CDC

According to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), vaccination with the Jynneos smallpox vaccine provides strong protection against mpox infection after one or two doses, providing some of the first clinical evidence on efficacy. of gunfire used to fight the mpox outbreak this year.

New data published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found that the incidence of mpox infections in unvaccinated people was nearly 10 times higher compared to the incidence rate in fully vaccinated people. , and 7.4 times higher compared to those who had received only one. dose.

These data were specific to vaccine-eligible males ages 18 to 49, who accounted for the bulk of mpox cases in the United States.

The CDC acknowledged that more data is still needed to fully determine the impact of Jynneos against mpox, which was formerly known as monkeypox, but said this study indicated the drug’s effectiveness.

The worst of the mpox epidemic, which swept through gay and bisexual men’s communities this year, seems to be over. The seven-day rolling average now stands at six cases per day according to the most recent federal data.

This finding was widely attributed to rapid changes in behavior among gay and bisexual men, many of whom said they took more precautions in response to the outbreak, such as reducing their number of sexual and dating partners.

There is currently no vaccine or treatment specifically designed to treat mpox. With the outbreak beginning in non-endemic countries this year, health officials have shifted to using treatments for smallpox, as it belongs to the same family of viruses to which mpox belongs. This included the Jynneos and ACAM2000 vaccines, as well as the TPOXX antiviral treatment.

The vaccination campaign had a rough startwith thousands of eligible people unable to access vaccines and many only remained partially immunized due to uncertainty over when more doses would become available.

In order to stretch the supply of Jynneos vaccines, the federal government has implemented a strategy of administering one-fifth of the doses of the drug intradermally, appearing to base this decision on a 2015 study looking specifically at this form of ‘administration.

The CDC noted in its weekly report that analysis of the cases did not suggest a difference in protection between intradermal injections and subcutaneous injections, which are given into the muscle and include a full dose of the vaccine like most others. vaccination injections.

Citing the low number of mpox cases currently being reported, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced last week that it does not expect to renew the state of health emergency for the mpox outbreak when it expires at the end of January.

“Over the next 60 days, we will focus on supporting jurisdictions and the Department to ensure that the PHE expiration will not impede response efforts,” HHS said. “” Mpox continues to be a priority for HHS and the administration at large, and we do not expect the expiration of the PHE to impact the administration’s ability to get vaccines, test and treat. the people concerned.