By end of June all EU states will receive first batches of monkeypox vaccine

By the end of June all EU member states, including Cyprus, will receive the first batches of the monkeypox vaccine, according to EU Health and Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakidou.

Speaking on Friday after meeting Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantela, Kyriakidou said the vaccines will be distributed according to the needs of each country.

“As things stand, there are countries within the bloc that have more monkeypox cases compared to others and therefore they will have priority.”

She added that, at the moment, the limited spread of the disease does not justify a large-scale vaccination campaign as was the case with Covid-19.

“For now, the priority is protecting individuals who came in close contact with confirmed cases, so we are not considering a vaccination plan for entire populations, as the risk of the disease spreading is quite low.”

Kyriakidou, however, assured that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) was closely monitoring the situation and will intervene in case it become necessary.

“Health Minister Hadjipantela has informed me that, although no cases have been registered in Cyprus yet, a plan is being drawn in case of a possible outbreak.”

Members of the scientific committee that was formed to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic met at the end of May to discuss what population groups require urgent vaccination against the monkeypox.

They also discussed the procedures and protocols that will be implemented should a monkeypox case be detected in Cyprus.

Further talks also covered the ways patients will be admitted and transported to hospitals, treatment as well as management at the level of the epidemiological unit.