Monkeypox is a virus that originated in wild animals like primates, and occasionally jumps to humans. Health officials said they are readying to ramp up availability in the coming weeks.
Luckily, the Jynneos vaccine is 85 percent effective in preventing monkeypox. has over 1,000 doses of the two-dose Jynneos vaccine for people 18 years-old and over that vaccine is licensed to prevent specifically monkeypox - though it also prevents smallpox too, which is closely related. But there aren't that many vaccines in the event that a serious outbreak occurs.Īs public health officials noted during a media briefing in May, the U.S. In 2003, 47 people in six states had confirmed or probable cases of monkeypox. That's because monkeypox isn't a new virus, nor is it new in the United States. Indeed, unlike COVID-19, which was caused by a newly-discovered virus (SARS-CoV-2), the country has some monkeypox vaccines readily available in the event that they are needed. RELATED: How 40 years without smallpox vaccinations could make the monkeypox outbreak worse Jennifer McQuiston, deputy director of the Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology within the CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, said in a media briefing last week. "I can report that there has been a request for release of the Jynneos vaccine from the National Stockpile for some of the high-risk contacts of some of the early patients, so that is actively happening right now," Dr. Still, as a precautionary measure, the country is gearing up to release vaccines from its national stockpile. Indeed, as of June 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports there have been at least 19 confirmed cases in 10 states. While a minor panic has circulated among the public and some media outlets, health authorities have emphasized that there is no need to panic-buy toilet paper as if another pandemic were about to kick off, as case numbers remain very low. Nearly three weeks ago, news broke that public health officials detected the first case of monkeypox in the United States.