The NHS is stepping up its NHS vaccination programme against monkeypox as more supplies of a jab come on stream. On Tuesday, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it had procured 100,000 more doses of an effective vaccine as monkeypox cases continue to rise.
As of July 18, there were 2,137 confirmed cases in the UK, with 2,050 in England and the majority in the capital. While anyone can get monkeypox, the majority of cases in the UK continue to be in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.
Vaccination experts have recommended that gay and bisexual men at higher risk of exposure to monkeypox should be offered the smallpox vaccine Imvanex. While the vaccine is available across England, the capital will receive additional doses of the existing supply in an effort to break chains of transmission as quickly as possible.
