The Health Minister of Germany, Karl Lauterbach, announced on Sunday that Germany would receive 40,000 vaccine doses against monkeypox in early June, with 200,000 more set to follow; the decision was taken after discovering monkeypox cases in Munich and Berlin.
As per the information provided by the sources, the Social Democratic minister said that Germany would receive 40,000 units of monkeypox vaccine during the first two weeks of June and 200,000 more afterwards, Minister said on Sunday (29 May).
Further, he informs that he had signed the contract and the Minister is waiting for confirmation from the producer. The Minister is confident in buying these vaccines very soon.
Lauterbach also said that so far, Germany does not have any of the vaccines in stock.
Adding to this, Minister Lauterbach said the vaccine known as Imavex had been approved against the monkeypox virus in the United States. Moreover, the vaccine is not particularly geared toward the virus; mainly, it protects against some severe symptoms.
According to Lauterbach, the aim is to be prepared if vaccinating contact persons of those infected becomes necessary. After the first case of monkeypox in Germany was reported in Munich earlier this month, two cases were reported in Berlin.
Lauterbach said he does not expect the virus to turn into a new pandemic. While he said it was important to contain the spread, “I don’t think that monkeypox poses a danger in terms of a pandemic – the potential is not there.”
Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease but, like many other diseases, can also be spread through sexual contact.
WHO’s strategies advisor at the department of HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, Andy Seale, explained that “you can get a cough or a cold through sexual contact. But it doesn’t mean that it’s a sexually transmitted disease”.
