“It appears that the United States has taken seriously the threat of a potential outbreak of infection associated with mpox, the monkeypox virus. The FDA has just approved the classic vaccinia vaccine ACAM2000 to prevent this infection,” said Ancha Baranova, PhD, professor of medicine and biology at George Mason University.
“This is a live attenuated (weakened) vaccine, very similar to the old Dryvax. It is also injected into the shoulder and the pathogen at the injection site multiplies, resulting in the well-known “pox mark”. There are often consequences: pain in the arm, high temperature, etc. The full extent of possible consequences is not clear, because this vaccine has never been used on a large scale. It should be noted that there were. Many myocarditis, including life-threatening ones, with Dryvax,” explained Professor Baranova.
He noted that two years ago, when the monkeypox outbreak first spread beyond the African continent to more than 120 countries, the FDA did not approve the use of ACAM2000. Then, a less dangerous version of the monkeypox virus, the so-called “clade II,” spread around the world.
The current outbreak in Congo and neighboring countries is caused by a more pathogenic variant of the virus and more than 500 deaths have been reported. And the FDA decided to use the vaccine, apparently after comparing and evaluating all possible risks.
In Russia, we recall that in 2022 a universal vaccine, “OrthopoxVac”, was developed and registered, intended for the prevention of both smallpox and diseases caused by related viruses, including monkeypox. This drug is also made from a weakened live virus. In addition, other vaccines against smallpox are registered in our country.
