Monkeypox vaccine jabs will split into five smaller…

Monkeypox vaccine jabs will split into five smaller doses in Wales

The amount of monkeypox vaccine people will be given is being cut to ensure more people can get it, the Welsh Government has said. Instead of a 0.5ml dose, people will get 0.1ml allowing a five-fold increase in people able to be vaccinated

The Welsh Government's health minister has said that the "fractional dosing" does not compromise protection and clinical results show "it provides a near-identical immune response in patients". You can read the current approach to monkeypox vaccination here. As of August 4, Public Health Wales confirmed there had been 37 cases here.

In a statement, she said: "Fractional dosing is a safe and clinically-approved approach, which has been commonly used in other worldwide outbreaks when vaccine supplies are constrained."

There are global supply issues for the vaccine. So-called fractional dosing has recently been authorised in the US by the Food and Drug Administration for its own monkeypox response. The European Medicines Agency Emergency Task Force has also approved the approach. Now it is being recommended by the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to the UK Health Security Agency. It will maximise the number of doses that can be administered without compromising protection, Mrs Morgan said.

A pilot will now begin in Wales where the vaccine will be administered by intradermal vaccination technique meaning it is given into the upper layer of the skin, rather than the more common approach of injecting either below the skin or into the muscle of the upper arm. It may take a few seconds longer and should produce a “bleb” (a small blister) that disappears within a minute. This method is commonly used for skin testing and vaccination against tuberculosis.

Those eligible for pre-exposure vaccination are:

Healthcare workers at risk of exposure including those working in sexual health services and high consequence infectious disease units
Gay and bisexual men, specifically those receiving PrEP or that have recently contracted a STI.

During the shortage, post-exposure vaccination offers should be prioritised which means those at greater risk of severe disease, including children under the age of five, pregnant women and people who are severely immunosuppressed. In addition, people eligible for pre-exposure vaccination, for example high risk Gay and Bisexual men, may be offered post-exposure vaccination.

Mrs Morgan said everyone who is eligible should take up the offer.

"We should all be aware of the risks and symptoms of monkeypox and be careful when attending events and situations where close contact may occur. People concerned about symptoms should contact NHS 111 or a sexual health service. Further information is available on the Public Health Wales and the Terrence Higgins Trust websites."

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