Thailand’s Department of Disease Control (DDC) has allocated 21 million baht to acquire 3,000 doses of the mpox vaccine.
The MVA-BN vaccine, sourced from Denmark, is expected to arrive in the country in four months and will be administered to high-risk individuals, according to Dr. Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, the director-general of the department.
The vaccine aims to control the spread of the disease, which means it is not necessary for everyone but will be distributed to high-risk groups based on medical guidelines, Dr. Thongchai explained.
The primary group for pre-exposure includes disease control personnel at international airports, border station health-check units, medical workers, and laboratory staff.
The secondary group targets post-exposure prophylaxis for individuals who have had close contact with mpox patients.
Dr. Thongchai noted that since no business has applied to import the mpox vaccine into Thailand, the Disease Control Act allows the department to import medications or vaccines without requiring Food and Drug Administration approval to combat the disease.
The MVA-BN vaccine, originally developed from the smallpox vaccine, may not be entirely effective in preventing infection but can reduce the severity of the illness. The best protection, he added, is to avoid close contact with those suspected of being infected.
The disease is generally not life-threatening, except for individuals with severely compromised immune systems, such as those living with HIV/AIDS. All 13 deaths in the country have occurred among HIV/AIDS patients.
“We’ve found that the rate of the disease’s spread is very low in the country, with only 833 cases from January 2022 until now, comprising 812 men and only 21 women,” Dr. Thongchai said.
“Infections occur through very close skin contact over a certain period, and most cases are found among men and sex workers. Hence, it is not necessary to vaccinate everyone.”
