Ukraine received 10 thousand doses of Mpox vaccine

The Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (HERA) department has handed over 10,000 doses of Jynneos Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) vaccine to Ukraine.

Ukraine received the vaccine as humanitarian aid under EU4Health, the EU health program that Ukraine joined in July 2022. The vaccine will be distributed and delivered by the Ministry of Health to the regions according to the collected needs. Vaccination of people who belong to risk groups will be carried out free of charge. 

“Ukraine is joining the global strategy to counter the spread of Mpox virus. The state continues to do everything possible to protect people from diseases that can be countered through vaccination. This supply of the vaccine will be aimed at protecting health workers and vulnerable populations. I thank our partners from the European Union for their continued support of the healthcare system of Ukraine,” said the minister of health of Ukraine Viktor Liashko.

The Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides said: “Every day for a year, russia's brutal war in Ukraine continues to destroy hospitals and medical facilities, putting people at risk and depriving patients of treatment. Medicine should in no way be a victim of war. We work side by side to provide life-saving treatment to almost 2,000 Ukrainian patients evacuated to the EU and the European Economic Area, as well as provide them with psychiatric and psychological assistance. By strengthening our cooperation with Ukraine in the field of healthcare, we can provide further support through EU4Health funding, including the transfer of 10,000 doses of Mpox vaccine. The European Commission's support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people remains unwavering.” 

Jynneos is a live attenuated vaccine against smallpox and Mpox developed by the Bavarian Nordic manufacturer. The vaccine is intended for people over the age of 18 who are at high risk of contracting smallpox or Mpox. The full course of monkey smallpox vaccination consists of two doses with an interval of 28 days. People who have previously received the smallpox vaccine should only be vaccinated if more than 10 years have passed since the vaccination.

Vaccination against Mpox is recommended for medical professionals who are at risk of infection with Mpox and people who are at high risk of infection.

For reference:

Mpox is smallpox-like disease caused by viruses of the poxvirus family. In terms of symptoms, it is very similar to smallpox. It is transmitted through any close physical contact with a rash on the body of an infected person, through coughing or sneezing, touching clothes, bed linen, and towels used by a person ill with smallpox. It is also possible to get infected from infected animals in West and Central Africa.

Mpox in most cases is much easier than smallpox. However, sometimes it can still lead to death. 

Until 2022, Mpox was recorded mainly in Central and West African countries, currently, most of the new cases are recorded in South and North America, and there are cases in Europe. Cases of Mpox have already been recorded in Ukraine.

EU4Health - the program of financing a number of priority areas in the healthcare system of the EU and partner countries: countering and combating the consequences of COVID-19, digitalization of the system, combating cancer, antibiotic resistance, etc. It provides for the financing of 5.3 billion euros until 2027. 

Participating countries have access to grants and purchases on a competitive basis, the budget of which was approved in 2022 at the level of 835 million euros. In mid-January 2023, the Verkhovna Rada ratified the agreement with the EU on Ukraine’s participation in EU4Health on special preferential terms - without an entrance fee.