Prioritize Monkeypox Vaccine for Gay Men, Other High-risk Individuals: Health Experts

Individuals Experts under the Centre for Health Protection have suggested that individuals at high risk of exposure for the monkeypox virus should be included as a target group and high priority for voluntary pre-exposure vaccination.

This should include gay, bisexual and other men having sex with men (MSM) or those with a history of sexually transmitted infection in the past 12 months, according to a government news portal on Sept. 16. 

Members of the Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases and the Scientific Committee on Emerging & Zoonotic Diseases noted in a review of the latest research concerning the global spread of monkeypox that most affected individuals included MSM with multiple sexual partners.

Other target groups for pre-exposure vaccination may include high-risk individuals such as sex workers, participants in group sex or those with multiple sexual partners, health care workers assisting monkeypox patients, and laboratory personnel.

The medical experts recommended the use of the third-generation vaccine for monkeypox at this time, given on a voluntary basis.