A leader of the prevention and combat centers (CDC) considers that a vaccination campaign against the variolate of the monkey will have to be launched. This would concern contact cases, especially people at risk.
Le Monde with AFP
The United States is preparing to vaccinate people who have been in contact with patients with the variolate of the monkey, when the country, which now has five probable or confirmed cases, expects to see their number increase. “We want to maximize the distribution of vaccines to those from which we know they would benefit from it,” Jennifer Mcquiston, head of CDCs said on Monday, May 23. “That is to say those who have been in contact with a patient known to the variole of the monkey, such as caregivers, very close personal contacts, especially those at risk of developing a serious case of the disease”, -It specified during a press conference.
One case was confirmed in the Massachusetts and four others are about to be analyzed but considered to be very likely (one in New York, one in Florida, two in Utah). All are men who have traveled outside the United States.
The disease, a less dangerous cousin of the changing variole for forty years, begins with a high fever and evolves quickly in rash, with the formation of crusts. It is these lesions that allow the transmission of the disease in the event of contact.
Two vaccine options, not without risk
What intrigues and concerns experts is the simultaneous appearance of cases in many countries, especially in Europe, without being associated with returns from African countries where the disease is endemic. The American authorities confirmed that the sequencing of the virus detected in the Massachusetts corresponded to that identified in a patient in Portugal, and that the strain was that present in West Africa, the least serious of the two in circulation.
Most infected people spontaneously heal in two to four weeks, without specific treatment. But the American authorities still prepare the response. Two variole vaccines authorized by the American Medicines Agency (FDA) can be used. The first, Acam2000, is a alive attenuated vaccine, not recommended for immunocompromised people. The United States has 100 million doses.
Because of “potentially significant” side effects, its large -scale distribution would require “a real discussion,” said Jennifer Mcquiston. The second, Jynneos, is also a living but non -replicative vaccine, and therefore considered safer. The United States has only 1,000 doses, but this number should “increase rapidly in the coming weeks”, according to the manager.
According to her, data shows that these two vaccines can help avoid the development of the disease if administered quickly after exposure. She also stressed that the risk of contamination remained generally low for the population.