The White House announced Friday it has purchased 2.5 million additional doses of monkeypox vaccine JYNNEOS for the Strategic National Stockpile.
Shipments of the vaccine will begin arriving later this year and will continue into 2023.
The U.S. previously ordered 500,000 doses of the vaccine for its current response to the virus. As of Wednesday, there have been 350 cases of monkeypox reported in the U.S. in 2022.
"We are working around-the-clock with public health officials in states and large metro areas to provide them with vaccines and treatments to respond to the current monkeypox outbreak," said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. "This order of additional JYNNEOS vaccine will help us push out more vaccine quickly, knowing that we have more doses on the way in the coming months – and is only possible because of our longstanding investment in smallpox and monkeypox preparedness."
In the meantime, federal officials are preparing to distribute nearly 300,000 monkeypox vaccines for high-risk individuals.
The vaccine will be allocated based on the number of individuals at risk for monkeypox who also have pre-existing conditions, like HIV, officials stated. The Biden administration will encourage vaccines for those who have been in direct contact with someone who is confirmed or presumed to have monkeypox.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the risk of monkeypox in the United States to the public is low, but you should avoid contact with others if you develop an unexplained skin rash.
Typical symptoms of monkeypox include a rash, fever, malaise, headache and muscle aches.
Last week, the World Health Organization said it would not declare monkeypox a global health emergency, but the agency expressed concern over its spread.
