New Delhi: A day after state government guidelines were issued for responding to Mpox cases, Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India (SII), announced the company is developing a vaccine against the disease with hopes for a “positive outcome” within a year, as reported by TOI. The new vaccine aims to address the risks posed by the Mpox outbreak.
Poonawalla stated, “In view of the global health emergency declared due to the Mpox outbreak, SII is working on developing a vaccine for this disease to cater to millions of lives that might be at risk. Hopefully, we will have more updates and positive news to share within a year’s time.”
Mpox virus: Government Guidelines and Testing Efforts
The government has released official guidelines for isolating suspected Mpox cases, with the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune responsible for sample testing. In the TOI report, Dr Pragya Yadav, a scientist at the NIV, shared insights on their ongoing efforts.
Dr Yadav said, “We’ve been testing Mpox samples since 2022. But this time, due to the new lineage of Mpox, there are concerns. Samples have been coming in continuously but, so far, we haven’t had a positive.”
What are the Mpox virus strains
Experts have raised alarms over the new lineage, CLADE 1B, which has the added capacity to spread sexually. Despite this, they believe it will not necessitate lockdown-like measures.
Dr Raman Gangakhedkar, former head of the division of epidemiology & communicable diseases and director-in-charge of the National AIDS Research Institute, expressed his concerns from an HIV-AIDS perspective.
Mpox Vaccine Effectiveness and Strategy
Dr Gangakhedkar said, “Mpox usually spreads only through close contact with an infected person, via bodily fluids and sores. But this new lineage also spreads sexually so as an HIV-AIDS expert, that concerns me. People may hide their infection once these skin lesions develop.”
He further elaborated on the effectiveness of the existing vaccines and potential strategies for vaccination.
“The vaccines currently available have shown an efficacy of about 80 per cent so they are effective. But the live attenuated vaccine/s may turn out to be better for administering vulnerable persons. Mass vaccination will not be required as a strategy. If we do need to start vaccinating, we may have to prioritise those who have multiple sexual partners,” he added.
The ongoing efforts by SII and NIV aim to mitigate the risks associated with the Mpox outbreak, with a focus on developing an effective vaccine and executing strategic isolation guidelines.