The vaccine is currently cleared for use in adults and is considered safer than Emergent BioSolutions Inc.’s ACAM2000 smallpox vaccine, which can also be used against monkeypox. The current monkeypox outbreak has mainly been seen among men who have sex with men, but concern about other populations is growing as infections increase in the US and 44 other countries. Domestic spread is increasing, with almost half of infections acquired locally rather than linked to travel abroad, according to the CDC documents. The CDC has already sent vaccines to states with monkeypox cases and New York City’s health department said Thursday that it would offer inoculations to eligible people at a temporary clinic. CDC documents also show the agency plans to conduct a study to see how much of the US has had a previous monkeypox infection by looking for antibodies.

Source: CBC News June 24, 2022 08:28 UTC