The EU buys some 170,000 doses of further vaccines

The European Fee introduced on Wednesday the acquisition of 170,920 further doses of the monkeypox vaccine from the Danish laboratory Bavarian Nordic, for supply “by the tip of the yr”, bringing the variety of doses to some 334,540. bought by the EU.

“Vaccines already bought will proceed to be delivered over the approaching weeks and months to Member States, in addition to Norway and Iceland”, a set of nations the place 18,463 instances of monkeypox had been recorded September 1, the EU government mentioned in an announcement.

Orders from Member States

To those vaccines bought and distributed by the EU, by way of its company accountable for well being emergencies Hera, are added the doses ordered immediately by the Member States.

“The variety of instances has fallen within the EU in current weeks, however the menace has not handed, and we can’t let our guard down,” mentioned Well being Commissioner Stella Kyriakides, promising that Brussels ” will present member states with all of the help they want”.

A distant cousin of human smallpox, monkeypox is characterised by pores and skin rashes – which can seem on the genitals or within the mouth – and could also be accompanied by bouts of fever, sore throat or ache within the joints. lymph nodes.

WHO points excessive degree alert

In line with the World Well being Group (WHO) dashboard that lists all confirmed instances, as of August 31, there have been 50,496 instances and 16 deaths recorded in 101 nations and territories.

Belgium final week recorded the primary loss of life of a affected person affected by monkeypox, who “had underlying well being circumstances”. In Europe, the place the epidemic appeared in Could, Spain had already recorded two deaths of sufferers with the virus on the finish of July, with out there both formally establishing a trigger and impact hyperlink.

If within the overwhelming majority of European and American instances the sufferers are males who’ve had intercourse with males, they don’t seem to be the one ones involved, some instances having additionally been detected in youngsters and immunocompromised folks.