CDC advisers vote in favor of using mpox vaccine in future outbreaks

CNN
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Independent vaccine advisers for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted unanimously on Wednesday in favor of a two-dose Jynneos mpox vaccine for adults at risk of contracting the disease during the outbreak.

If the CDC agrees with the committee’s recommendations, recommendations will be made to vaccinate people at risk for mpox during future outbreaks.

The number of new cases of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, has declined significantly in the United States since the peak of the recent outbreak in August. The current seven-day average shows there are still two new cases a day, compared with about 450 per day in August, but two more than the previous number in the United States. the expert said.

“We have a very effective vaccine,” said board member Dr. Jamie Loehr, owner of Cayuga Family Medicine in Ithaca, New York. “We got good data.

“And if I’m doing the math right, it’s actually showing a pretty high mortality rate. About 1 in 1,000, so that’s not an insignificant mortality rate. So I’m all for this. ” added Loehr.

Eighteen members voted in favor of the vaccine recommendation.

In 2021, the committee voted in favor of the Jynneos vaccine for people at occupational risk of exposure to the virus. I got it.

According to the CDC, more than 1.18 million doses of the Jynneos vaccine have been administered in the United States.

Vaccine efficacy has never been demonstrated in clinical trials of mpox, but studies during outbreaks have shown efficacy of up to 83%, the CDC said. Still, more data are needed to fully understand how well it works for people with underlying conditions that weaken their immune system.

The CDC announced that the incidence of Mpox in unvaccinated people was 7.4 times higher than in those who received one dose of Jynneos vaccine and 9.6 times higher in those who received two doses of Jynneos vaccine.

The CDC said there were no new or unexpected safety concerns with the vaccine. Serious adverse events in adults were rare. There was no indication that the vaccine increased the risk of myocarditis or pericarditis. The most common complaints were injection site redness and fatigue.

Even though mpox cases continue to decline, the CDC is encouraging at-risk people to get vaccinated.

“We don’t think this outbreak is over. It’s very important to keep that in mind,” said Dr. Agam Rao, medical officer in the CDC’s Division of Critical Pathogens and Pathology. says.

A future outbreak is also possible, she said.

“In some countries, cases have gone unreported for decades, and indeed human cases are reappearing,” Rao added.

The United States led the world in mpox cases during the most recent outbreak, with over 30,000 illnesses and cases in all 50 states. Those most at risk were members of the gay and bisexual community and other men who had sex with men, accounting for 95% of the cases. , Hispanics, and Caucasians, accounting for nearly one-third of cases in each group.

Mpox also appeared to spread primarily through sexually active people. According to the CDC, of ​​the cases for which the CDC had information about their sexual history, 75% reported that she had had sex or had close contact with another person three weeks before symptoms began, and 25% report that they did not report any physical contact.

Mpox is not a minor infection. Pain is “especially pronounced” in lesions, Rao said. Eye lesions can cause blindness. Neurological complications and swelling of the brain may also occur. The most severe manifestations of mpox, including uncontrolled viral spread, were seen among people with severely weakened immune systems.

The disease was rarely fatal, but there were 32 deaths, representing 0.1% of mpox cases, mainly in severely immunocompromised people.

The CDC said the panel will meet again in June to consider recommending the vaccine to people under the age of 18.

“Recent outbreaks highlight the risks that infectious diseases can pose to our communities, the importance of robust public health responses at the state and local levels, and the commitment of partners and communities involved in responding to public health threats. It re-emphasizes the value, and the impact: vaccines could help control outbreaks,” said Melinda Wharton, Ph.D., associate director of vaccine policy at the CDC.