Health officials have ordered more than 100,000 additional doses of the monkeypox vaccine, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed in an update on Tuesday. The single-dose jab is being offered to close contacts with higher risk exposure on a case-by-case basis.
Imvanex is a smallpox vaccine which has previously been used for monkeypox in the UK. People eligible for the jab include healthcare workers and close contacts of infected people.
Close contacts won't need to isolate at home if they don't have symptoms, according to guidance updated on Tuesday. The UKHSA said the decision was made in response to data that showed a small number of close contacts developed monkeypox and a lack of evidence of transmission outside of close intimate or sexual contact.
