The UK is now offering the Monkeypox vaccine in smaller doses as limited supplies are available.
The doses are said to be “equally effective” as the original amount which has already been administered to over 33,000 people who were at the greatest risk of contracting the virus, according to UK officials.
The change comes in an attempt to “maximise supply” by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) as they look to “protect more people”. The “safe and clinically-approved approach”, known as fractional dosing, has been commonly used in other worldwide outbreaks when vaccine supplies are constrained.
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Fractional dosing “could maximise the number of doses that can be administered without compromising protection, with clinical study results showing it provides a near-identical immune response in patients”. Under the new approach, eligible people aged 18 and over will be offered a 0.1ml dose of the smallpox Jynneos vaccine, instead of the 0.5ml dose that is typically administered. This will potentially enable up to a five-fold increase in the number of people that can be offered vaccination.
UKHSA chief executive Professor Dame Jenny Harries confirmed the details of the pilot in a letter to directors of public health, with data gathered by the clinics used to inform planning for possible wider use when more doses of the vaccine arrive in the UK in late September.
Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at UKHSA, said: “Global supplies of the smallpox vaccine used to combat monkeypox are limited but we acted early to ensure the UK obtained the maximum number of doses available. Adopting this tried and tested technique will help to maximise the reach of our remaining stock, including the 100,000 doses due to arrive in the country next month, potentially enabling us to offer protection for many more thousands of people. We will continue to remain agile in our response to the monkeypox outbreak and will adapt our approach as new science and advice become available.”
More than 3,000 people have been diagnosed with monkeypox in the UK since the epidemic began in May with the majority of cases being found amongst gay and bisexual men and men who have sex with other men. Anyone who comes into close contact with someone who has monkeypox could potentially contract the virus.
The change in dosage amount will not affect the eligibility for the wider vaccination programme (pre-exposure offer) but means that post-exposure vaccines will be prioritised for people with immunosuppression, children under the age of 5 years and pregnant women. These individuals will continue to be offered a 0.5ml dose of the vaccine.
The news comes after the Liverpool ECHO reported last week that no monkeypox vaccinations would be given out to Wirral residents until September as doses run out across the UK but local cases remain low. Vaccinations are however currently available in Liverpool, Knowsley, Halton, and parts of Cheshire.
Dr Claire Dewsnap, President of the British Association for Sexual Health & HIV (BASHH), added: “BASHH absolutely support the UKHSA-led fractional dosing pilots, assessing feasibility in UK sexual health clinics. If acceptable, this would offer us the opportunity to roll out vaccine to those eligible much faster and would address the issues of short supply of vaccine across the world.”
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