WASHINGTON:
The United States, which is forecasting an increase in monkeypox cases in the coming weeks, does not currently have enough vaccines to meet demand, a top health official said Friday.
Concern has grown especially in New York, the epicenter of the virus outbreak in the US, where neay 390 cases were counted as of July 14. The United States has recorded a total of 1,470 cases.
The disease is characterized by skin lesions - which can appear on the genitals or in the mouth - and is often accompanied by fever, sore throat and sore lymph nodes. It usually resolves on its own but can be extremely painful.
"I want to acknowledge that currently the demand for vaccines from jurisdictions is greater than our current available supply," said Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “And we know it's frustrating.
"We still don't have all the vaccine that we would like at this point," she told reporters at a press conference, warning that authorities "expect an increase in cases in the coming weeks."
Public health authorities in New York were forced to apologize earlier this week when the government's website was overwhelmed as thousands of people tried to sign up and book vaccine appointments at once.
"Vaccine supply is extremely limited, extremely limited, across this country and especially here in New York," the city's Department of Public Health Chief Ashwin Vasan said Thursday.
Close contact
In May, when the outbreak began in the United States, only 2,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine — the only one specifically approved for monkeypox — were available in the country.
Since then, 156,000 doses have been distributed nationwide. More than 130,000 doses have been added to the strategic national stockpile and are expected to begin distribution on Monday.
The next round of vaccine distribution will prioritize the worst-affected regions first, Walensky said.
"I imagine there will be a much larger supply for New York City," she added.
Another shortage left a shipment of 786,000 doses stuck in Denmark awaiting Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review. According to FDA official Peter Marks, the review is now complete and "we have told the manufacturer (Nordic Bavarian company) that they can send the vaccine," he said.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday that it has ordered an additional 2.5 million doses of the Jynneos vaccine to arrive in 2023. The order follows another order earlier this month that is expected to arrive later this year.
The two-shot vaccine is currently recommended for anyone who has been in close contact with someone infected with monkeypox. So far, the virus is circulating mostly among the LGBTQ community, especially gay and bisexual men.
Monkeypox is spread through close physical contact, touching objects previously handled by an infected person, or close personal interaction.
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