Ireland has “sufficient” supplies of mpox vaccine to deal outbreaks of the disease in the State in the coming months, the infectious diseases watchdog has said, with the risk for the country being deemed as low by health officials.
This week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the latest mpox outbreak in Africa a “public health emergency of international concern”, the WHO’s highest level of alert.
Mpox can spread through close contact. Usually mild, it is fatal in rare cases. It causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body.
Cases of mpox in Ireland remain low, with six cases reported so far in 2024, with 13 cases of mpox in the State in 2023 and 227 cases in 2022.
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The cases seen in 2024 in Ireland have been caused by clade II mpox, the type that caused the global outbreak, mainly affecting gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, and which began in 2022. No cases of the new clade of mpox, which is causing concern in Africa, have been detected in Ireland.
[ What is mpox, why has it been declared a global emergency and is it in Ireland?Opens in new window ]
In a statement, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre said the Health Service Executive (HSE) would “consider the need for a new vaccine programme” in light of the WHO’s alert.
“HSE will consider the need for any new vaccination programme and the particular groups potentially in scope for vaccination. Ireland has sufficient supplies of mpox vaccine through the EU HERA joint procurement action to meet any likely needs over the next months,” the statement said.
It is understood preparations for mpox within Government are at an advanced stage, with plans to ensure that the correct medical information is targeted at the groups most vulnerable to infection.
The Government believes there is an adequate stock of vaccines for the coming months while it is also confident of testing capacity for both variants within the National Virus Reference Laboratory.
It is currently being regarded by Government officials as a “low risk” situation, however information campaigns will be fine-tuned, while the chief medical officer will continue to brief the Government, as is regular.
On Friday, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) published its risk assessment, in which it called for enhanced preparedness across the bloc. It was “highly likely” the European Union would see more imported cases of mpox, it said, but added the overall risk profile is considered low.
The HSE convened an incident management team meeting on Friday to discuss the WHO declaration and the ECDC risk assessment, with guidance being updated to reflect current advice.
It is understood the Department of Health has also been in contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs regarding updating travel advice for those intending to visit the affected region.
Dr Eoghan De Barra, consultant in infectious diseases at Beaumont Hospital and senior lecturer at RCSI, highlighted the difference between this outbreak and that of 2022, when it last spread through Europe.
“The impacts of this infection are more serious for individuals in terms of severity of disease and risk of death,” he said.
Dr Connor Bamford, lecturer at the School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, said there was a need to “focus our attention on containing and eradicating mpox from the human population”.
“Ireland remains at risk, like most other countries globally, due to increasing global connectivity either coming directly or indirectly from the affected African countries,” he said.
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