The time between two doses of monkeypox vaccination, which was previously 28 days, has been extended for non-immunocompromised people, the Ministry of Health reported Thursday.
“As part of the preventive vaccination strategy (…) and in order to guarantee access to vaccination to the largest number of people at risk”, the ministry stated that it has “recommended vaccination sites, according to the opinion of the HAS of July 7, to extend the spacing between the first and the second dose for non-immunocompromised people”.
Two doses of the vaccine are recommended for most eligible people, primarily men who have sex with men. For those vaccinated against smallpox in the past, one dose is sufficient. For the immunocompromised, a third is recommended.
Testimonials have been reported in recent days of appointment cancellations for a second dose. The ministry emphasized that “already scheduled second dose appointments should not be cancelled” and that “patients whose second dose would be assessed as a priority by a doctor for health, treatment or exposure reasons will benefit from an appointment.”
On the other hand, “unscheduled second-dose appointments can be scheduled later.”
Almost 20,000 people received a first dose
The High Health Authority had recommended, in its opinion at the beginning of July, a vaccination schedule “of two doses, spaced 28 days apart”, but indicated “that a spacing of the doses of several weeks could be foreseen in case of supply tension ”. of vaccines”.
So far, some 18,500 people have received a first dose of the vaccine. “Whatever the efficacy of the vaccine after one or two doses, it will never be 100%,” the ministry warned Thursday, insisting on prevention in parallel.
According to a count held on Tuesday, August 2 by the health authorities, 2,239 cases have been confirmed in France. Unlike other countries like Spain, there are no deaths to report.
Source: BFM TV
