In Slovakia, we have the first case of monkeypox, Ministry of Health: How will it be with vaccination? – New time

The working group of the Ministry of Health (MOH) of the Slovak Republic recommended the purchase of up to 2,000 doses of smallpox vaccines. This was stated by the communication department of the department for TASR. Vaccines also provide effective protection against monkeypox. “The Ministry of Health is currently examining the possibilities of procuring these vaccines, including central procurement by the European Commission,” it clarified. According to him, the purchased vaccines will then be delivered to specialized centers across Slovakia. The ministry emphasized that the older and at-risk population, from the point of view of age, had already received the smallpox vaccination in their youth. According to the department, the working group, to which experts from the field of epidemiology are invited, has not yet identified monkeypox as an immediate threat to public health. The Public Health Office (ÚVZ) of the Slovak Republic announced last month that only close contacts with a high risk of infection in Slovakia should be vaccinated with the vaccine effective against monkeypox at their own request and health workers at professional risk. According to him, there is an assumption that the vaccine will not normally be used in outbreaks in our country, or will be used rarely. The first case of monkeypox was confirmed in Slovakia on Thursday (7/7). The infected person is between the ages of 20 and 59, probably contracted it abroad. She is isolated and hospitalized. All close contacts were caught by the relevant regional office of public health.