The European Union will sign a contract for 110,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine on Tuesday, according to Stella Kyriakides, the bloc's health commissioner. This comes as officials worldwide move to secure restricted supplies of medicines and vaccines required to manage the expanding outbreak.

The virus that causes monkeypox is transmitted through close contact with an infected person, animal, or contaminated object. Symptoms may include fever, muscle pains, lymph node enlargement, and a rash that resembles chickenpox or syphilis. Most people recover on their own within a few weeks, while the condition can be fatal and riskier for pregnant people and children. The disease is well-known, but scientists and public health officials were startled by its discovery in Europe and North America in May. Monkeypox is typically seen in parts of Africa, where it is thought to be carried by rats, and instances outside these regions are mainly attributable to travel. The number and distribution of monkeypox cases outside of these regions of Africa, together with genetic evidence, suggest the virus may have been spreading for a more extended period and on a bigger scale than previously believed.

In Europe, there is no vaccination approved for use against monkeypox, but several are approved for use against smallpox. The virus that caused smallpox, eliminated through a worldwide vaccination effort, is identical to monkeypox, and therapies and vaccinations developed for it are equally effective against monkeypox. Bavarian Nordic produces the only vaccine allowed for use against monkeypox around the globe; the United States and Canada have licensed it for use against the virus; however, in Europe, it is only approved for use against smallpox.

Kyriakides spoke in the margins of a European health ministers' meeting. She stated that the committee will examine the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, winter measures and if EU members will have variant-specific vaccines for future immunization campaigns. Kyriakides added that the group will discuss the necessity of a global health strategy to "combat common challenges jointly."

Big Number

900. The number of confirmed cases of monkeypox in Europe, according to Kyriakides. This constitutes the vast majority of cases identified outside of Africa, where the disease is typically seen. According to public health statistics provided by Global. Health, a team of researchers and technologists has confirmed more than 1,600 cases following the outbreak. Forty-nine cases have been confirmed in the United States, according to the organization's data.