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Italy launched a vaccination campaign against monkeypox on Monday as the number of cases climbed as health officials reported vaccine shortages worldwide.
Italy has reported 545 cases of monkeypox, according to the Ministry of Health. Its vaccination campaign started more than a month later than other countries that have seen more cases, such as the US, UK and Spain.
The first dose will be administered at Rome’s Spallanzani Hospital, the hospital said in a statement.
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Vaccines and treatments are in short supply, and the disease has often left management to historically underfunded venereal clinics.
Spallanzani said there are already booking requests for 200 and 600 people who will be vaccinated from Monday onwards.
The vaccine used will be Jynneos (MVA-BN), a smallpox vaccine manufactured by Bavarian Nordic and approved by the European Medicines Agency for protection against monkeypox, the hospital said.
On Thursday, vaccinations will also begin in Milan, Italy’s financial capital.
The virus continues to spread primarily among gay and bisexual men in the current outbreak, which has spread outside endemic countries since May. It causes pus-filled ulcers and flu-like symptoms and is rarely fatal. Outside of countries where infections are usually high, he now has 26,500 cases reported worldwide, according to Reuters trackers.
In July, the World Health Organization declared monkeypox a “public health emergency of international concern”, reaching its highest alert level.
Following the WHO’s move, the United States, which now has the highest number of cases in the world, also declared monkeypox a public health emergency on August 4.
The Italian health ministry says gay, bisexual men and transgender people who have recently had sex with multiple partners, recently contracted a sexually transmitted disease or used chemicals during sex will be eligible for the vaccine. Stated. Hospital staff working with monkeypox cases are also covered.
The first case in Italy was recorded on 20 May 2022. There are no current plans for mass vaccination.
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Lazio, around Rome, received 1,200 doses, Lombardy, 2,000, Emilia-Romagna, 600, and Veneto, around Venice, 400.