Ireland has obtained an order of vaccines to help fight against monkeypox, a rare infection that has been spreading throughout Europe, the UK and the US.
It comes after the first case of monkeypox has been recorded on the island of Ireland.
Chief Executive of the Health Service Executive, Paul Reid, confirmed the news, with the vaccines expected to be delivered “very shortly”.
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Reid also said that it is “more likely than not” that Ireland will see cases of the monkeypox here.
The HSE is engaging with the international community in relation to the management, communication and monitoring of the disease, as well as those in Northern Ireland.
Health care workers could be vaccinated, Mr Reid said, but the NIAC’s advice would be followed when they issue their recommended course of action.
"We will take our advice from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) for the moment," he told RTE's Morning Ireland.
Evidence from Europe suggests that vaccinating health care workers is a good idea, he added.
A team has been assembled within the HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Service to tackle the disease here in Ireland, with a spokesperson saying: “A team has been established to monitor this evolving situation and prepare services for the possibility of monkeypox cases arising in Ireland.”
Monkeypox is a self-limiting illness, with many recovering within weeks. Severe illness can occur in those with very weak immune systems and in small babies.
It is not considered to be very infectious and takes close physical contact between people to spread.
Contact with close family members or sexual contact poses the biggest risks of person-to-person spread. The risk of spread within the community, in general, is very low.
The first case of Monkeypox was recorded on the island of Ireland yesterday. A case was recorded in Northern Ireland, with the patient being treated in hospital.
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