The WHO has officially declared the monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency…but what does that mean, exactly?
The designation allows member countries to invest major resources in controlling the outbreak, and encourages nations to share vaccines and treatments.
Monkeypox has been endemic in central and western African, but now its spread globally to more than 75 countries, and a total of 16,000 reported cases. There have been 5 deaths, all of which occurred in Africa.

Just about all of the infections outside Africa have occurred among men who have sex with men. According to the CDC, more than 99% of cases in the US have involved male-to-male sexual contact.
However, anyone can catch the virus through close skin-to-skin contact, and there have been 2 cases in children in the US, and one in the Netherlands who had no discernible link to any other infected people. Potential spread to children can occur through holding, cuddling, and feeding. It can also spread when sharing contaminated towels, bedding, and dishware.

Monkeypox is at the point now that its going to be real tough to control the spread. And the longer it goes on, the greater the likelihood that this virus moves from infecting just people, to infecting animals…..and that is more problematic, because that allows the virus to persist, as opposed to potentially eradicating it. And that’s one way for the virus to become endemic to a new region.
So far, the US has about 3,000 reported cases, but the real number is likely much much higher, because we know that not cases are being reported.

Most of the cases are in Europe, with Britain and Spain each having about 3,000 cases each.
Interestingly, the people who’ve had these infections there reportedly did not have a known source of their infection, which indicates that there is undetected spread in the community.


There are 2 monkeypox vaccines.

One is called ACAM2000, which is a version of the vaccine used to eradicate smallpox decades ago. It’s likely to be effective against monkeypox, but it also has harsh side effects, including the potential for heart problems, and it can be fatal in people with certain conditions. It also should not be used in people who have a weakened immune system, skin conditions like eczema, or pregnancy.

Never a good thing when the medicine or vaccine ends up being worse than the disease.

Thankfully, there is another monkeypox vaccine that is safe and effective made by a small company in Denmark, by the name of Bavarian Nordic. This vaccine, The modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vaccine which goes by the name JYNNEOS in the United States, IMVANEX in the European Union, and IMVAMUNE in Canada. Jynneos was developed in Denmark with the help of the US.

This vaccine is made from a highly attenuated, nonreplicating vaccinia virus and is very safe, even in immunocompromised people and those with skin disorders.

The problem? It’s in limited supply, controlled by the federal government. About two million doses are expected to be shipped to the United States by the end of the year, and five million more for the rest of the world.