Study examines Mpox prevention with modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) Efficacy Monkeypox Skin Smallpox Vaccine Vaccinia Virus Ankara CHUdeLyon Eurosurveillanc
By Dr. Priyom Bose, Ph.D.Dec 18 2022Reviewed by Aimee Molineux Many countries around the world have been affected by the monkeypox outbreak since April 2022. The two continents, America and Europe, are among the most affected. The current wave of mpox cases has infected chiefly men who have sex with men . One of the common symptoms of mpox is anogenital lesions, which indicate transmission of the virus through sexual activities.
Although mpox vaccination has been recommended at both primary vaccinations, i.e., pre-exposure to the virus, and post-exposure preventive vaccination , there exists scarce evidence that supports the effectiveness of these two prophylactic strategies. The contact-tracing strategy was used to identify at-risk contacts. Additionally, some individuals self-declared and were available for vaccination. A total of 130 adults received MVA-BN as part of PEPV between June 15 and August 12, 2022. Among these, 108 participants received a single dose of the MVA-BN vaccine within fourteen days of mpox exposure. These participants were included in the current study.
Clinicians confirmed breakthrough infection through diagnostic consultations via real-time PCR on the skin and/or mucosal swabs collected from lesions. The mpox virus was isolated from samples that tested positive for mpox infection by PCR to assess virus infectivity. Although initial Cq values of samples from non-vaccinated mpox patients and vaccinated individuals with breakthrough infection were comparable, viral culture in the latter group was observed to turn positive in due course. Therefore, more research is required to validate this finding.
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