The availability of the smallpox vaccine for those at risk of monkeypox could increase five-fold by changing the way it is administered through the skin.
The rollout of the vaccine in Ireland was announced last month in response to the increasing monkeypox epidemic. There is currently a global shortage of the vaccine as cases of the virus rise across Europe.
However, The European Medicines Agency has now recommended people receive the vaccine just underneath the skin in order to preserve doses for wider use. The vaccine has previously been given as a subcutaneous injection, which requires the needle to strike deep within the fatty tissue of a person’s arm.
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“We will now move to giving the vaccine intradermally, meaning a smaller dose of the vaccine can be used," Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly wrote on Twitter. "Given the current limited international supply of the vaccine, this means that more people can be vaccinated."
This change could potentially allow five times as many people to receive protection from the monkeypox virus. The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) recommended the changes to the vaccine’s rollout in Ireland, which were accepted by the Department of Health.
HIV Ireland had previously called on government to accelerate the vaccine rollout for those considered to be at high risk of contracting monkeypox. Around 6,500 people fall into the high risk category but the dosages previously available in Ireland would only provide vaccinations for around 600 people.
Monkeypox cases currently present predominantly in gay and bisexual men, as well as men who have sex with men. The World Health Organisation (WHO) previously cautioned against complacency towards the virus, saying that a wider outbreak was possible.
There are now 126 confirmed cases of the virus in Ireland, with 11 hospitalisations reported since the disease was first recorded in Ireland in May. An emergency response team has been organised to tackle the growing threat of the disease in Ireland.
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