Thailand allocates 21 million baht for mpox vaccine for high-risk groups

Thailand’s Department of Disease Control (DDC) has allocated a budget of 21 million baht to purchase 3,000 doses of the mpox vaccine.

Dr Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, director-general of the department, announced that the MVA-BN vaccine from Denmark is expected to arrive in four months and will be administered to high-risk individuals.

The vaccine is intended for disease control and is not necessary for the general population. High-risk groups will receive the vaccine under medical guidelines.

The first high-risk group includes disease control staff working at international airports, border station health-check units, medical workers, and staff working at laboratories. These individuals fall under the pre-exposure category.

The second group comprises those needing post-exposure prophylaxis, such as people who have had close contact with mpox patients.

Since no businesses have applied to import the mpox vaccine in Thailand, the Disease Control Act empowers the department to import medications or vaccines without requiring Food and Drug Administration approval to combat diseases.

The MVA-BN vaccine, modified from the smallpox vaccine, might not be 100% effective in preventing infections but could lessen the severity of the illness. Avoiding close contact with people suspected of being infected remains the best preventive measure.

The disease generally does not cause severe illness, except for individuals with severely compromised immune systems, such as those living with HIV/Aids. All 13 deaths in the country have been associated with HIV/Aids patients, reported Bangkok Post.

“We’ve found the rate of the disease spreading is very low in the country, with only 833 cases from January 2022 until now, comprising 812 in men and only 21 in women.

“Infections happen in the event of very close skin contact for a certain period, and most cases are found among men and sex workers. Hence, it is not necessary to vaccinate everyone.”

In related news, in addition to decisions regarding which groups of individuals in the country should receive the mpox vaccine, Thailand is stepping up its fight against the spread of mpox with new travel regulations aimed at passengers arriving from Africa.