#17,742
While the U.S. Mpox epidemic reached its peak in the summer of 2022, and has declined sharply since, the virus continues to pick up momentum in other parts of the world, most recently in Asia (see graphic above).
More than 1 million doses of the JANNEOS Mpox vaccine have been administered in the United States, but uptake has dropped sharply as cases have declined, leaving a large segment of the at-risk population still vulnerable.
Mpox continues to spread in Africa and internationally, meaning the current low levels of infection being reported here in the United States could begin to rise again (see CDC HAN: Potential Risk for New Mpox Cases).
Last week the CDC's vaccine advisory group ACIP voted to recommend the routine vaccination of at-risk adults (see below).
ACIP approved the following recommendations by majority vote and they have been adopted by the CDC Director. They will be published in MMWR and reflected in CDC’s print and digital resources in the coming months.
October 25-26, 2023Mpox Vaccines
ACIP recommends vaccination* with the 2-dose§ JYNNEOS vaccine series for persons aged 18 years and older at risk for mpox¶
*This is an interim recommendation that ACIP will revisit in 2-3 years
§Dose 2 administered 28 days after dose 1
¶Persons at risk: Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, transgender or nonbinary people who in the past 6 months have had one of the following:Combined Immunization Schedules
- A new diagnosis of ≥1 sexually transmitted disease
- More than one sex partner
- Sex at a commercial sex venue
- Sex in association with a large public event in a geographic area where mpox transmission is occurring
- Sexual partners of persons with the risks described in above
- Persons who anticipate experiencing any of the above
Approve the Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule, United States, 2024 and the Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule, United States, 2024.
These recommendations have been adopted by the CDC Director on October 26, 2023 and are now official.
Although Mpox continues to simmer more than boil, we've seen evidence that the virus continues to evolve and adapt (see EID Journal: Monkeypox Virus Evolution before 2022 Outbreak), making the emergence of new Mpox variants always a possibility.
Since the eradication of smallpox in the 1970s, there is a general feeling that poxviruses are a thing of the past, a relic of the 20th century. But viruses have been around far longer than humans, and nature is nothing if not persistent, making it unwise to bet against their long-term success.
In this same meeting, last week ACIP also recommended :
Meningococcal Vaccines
Pfizer’s MenABCWY vaccine may be used when both MenACWY and MenB are indicated at the same visit.*
*1) Healthy individuals aged 16–23 years (routine schedule) when shared clinical decision-making favors administration of MenB vaccination, 2) individuals aged 10 years and older at increased risk of meningococcal disease (e.g., due to persistent complement deficiencies, complement inhibitor use, or functional or anatomic asplenia) due for both vaccines.
