India in Talks for Monkeypox Vaccine as Global Outbreak Spreads
India has started discussions with vaccine makers for developing a monkeypox vaccine, should the need arise, a senior government official said, as cases rise globally.
(Bloomberg) -- India has started discussions with vaccine makers for developing a monkeypox vaccine, should the need arise, a senior government official said, as cases rise globally.
“We are already engaging with the potential players,” said Vinod Kumar Paul, member of government think tank NITI Aayog and head of the national task force on Covid-19. “As you know, we have a strong presence of our vaccine capacity, so that’s also under the government’s active consideration.”
The South Asian nation has tightened its nationwide surveillance, and those with symptoms should get tested for the disease, which is “imminently treatable,” Paul said. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern in a controversial and divided ruling on Saturday.
India has designated 15 laboratories to diagnose monkeypox and has adequate equipment to carry out two-step RTPCR tests, Paul said on the sidelines of a health industry event on Wednesday. So far, the country has four confirmed monkeypox cases.
Manufacturing a vaccine for the outbreak comes with its own set of challenges. Meanwhile, Bavarian Nordic A/S, a little-known Danish drugmaker, has won formal approval in the European Union to label its smallpox vaccine Imvanex for monkeypox. The label extension came after similar clearances in Canada and the US.
According to the WHO, the risk of monkeypox is moderate globally, except in Europe, where it is high. The pathogen typically causes flu-like symptoms, followed by a rash that often starts on the face and spreads down the belly. The illness usually lasts for two weeks to a month and can be deadly.
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