Moderna testing potential monkeypox vaccines

Moderna is testing potential vaccines against monkeypox in pre-clinical trials as the disease spreads in the United States and Europe.

The World Health Organization said on Tuesday there have been 131 confirmed monkeypox cases and 106 further suspected cases since the first was reported on May 7 outside the countries where it usually spreads.

Monkeypox is a usually mild viral infection that is endemic in parts of west and central Africa. It spreads chiefly through close contact, and until the recent outbreak has only rarely been seen in other parts of the world. The majority of the recent cases have been reported in Europe.

Moderna did not immediately respond to a request for more details on the monkeypox vaccines.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the government was in the process of releasing doses of a smallpox vaccine Jynneos, made by Bavarian Nordic A/S, for use in monkeypox cases. — Reuters