The FDA has authorized a new approach to how the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine is administered in an effort to stretch supplies due to high demand.
Until now, the vaccine has been given to adults subcutaneously, or into the fatty tissue under the skin. Now, the shots will be administered intradermally – under the top layer of the skin. According to the new emergency use authorization from the FDA, this will allow providers to get 5x the number of doses from a standard one-dose vial.
Biden administration officials are set to announce Tuesday a new strategy to split monkeypox vaccine doses in hopes of vaccinating up to five times as many people against the virus, according to officials with direct knowledge of the plan.https://t.co/f2HNsVydNV
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 9, 2022
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf told the press last week that the updated approach would not compromise the effectiveness or safety of the vaccine. CNN reports the intradermal approach has been used successfully with other vaccines for flu and rabies. This will effectively turn hundreds of thousands of available doses into millions of potential jabs.
The World Health Organization declared the monkeypox outbreak a global emergency on July 23. And on August 4, the Biden administration declared virus a “national health emergency.”
Related: NYC Man Contracted Monkeypox And Is Sharing His Experience
A statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says “anyone can spread monkeypox, regardless of sexual orientation,” while also noting the current tracking suggests “gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men make up a high number of cases.” Doctors emphasize that MPV is not a sexually transmitted infection, as the poxvirus can be transmitted via other areas of the body and can live outside the body on linens.
See more in this report from CBS News in San Francisco.
(source: CNN, Washington Post)
