What SII boss Adar Poonawalla said on Monkeypox vaccine
2 min read . Updated: 02 Aug 2022, 04:53 PM IST
Premium- India has reported eight Monkeypox cases till now. The nation has also recorded one death from the viral zoonosis disease
NEW DELHI : Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla on Tuesday attended a meeting with union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya amid rising cases of Monekeypox in India. The meeting as is being reported was to discuss the vaccine that could prevent the wildfire like spread of the zoonosis virus.
India has reported eight Monkeypox cases till now. The nation has also recorded one death from the viral zoonosis disease. Kerala has reported 5 monkeypox cases, and one related death.
The latest case concerns a 30-year-old man, who came from UAE last month. Speaking about the patient, Health Minister Veena George on Tuesday said that the man is currently undergoing treatment and his conditions are stable. Another Monkeypox case has been confirmed in the national capital as a Nigerian man has tested positive for the virus. This is the third monkeypox case in Delhi.
Meanwhile, the necessity for Monkeypox vaccine has arisen in order to curb the spread of the virus. The Centre announced that it would form a taskforce to look into the monkeypox cases across the country.
Ponawalla after his meeting with Mandaviya shared an update on the production of the Monkeypox vaccine. He said, "My meeting went well like always. All preparations for the vaccine are being done; I briefed the minister on this. We are researching on the vaccine for Monkeypox and if there's a need for it."
National capital Delhi has also put itself under tight scanner scanner after three cases of Monkeypox virus were confirmed. The city government directed 3 private hospitals to create at least 10 isolation rooms for the infected individuals - 5 for management of suspected cases of monkeypox and 5 isolation rooms for management of confirmed cases of monkeypox.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) had earlier noted that the world needs 5-10 million doses of the Monkeypox vaccine to protect high-risk groups from the virus outbreak.
The WHO director also asked countries with smallpox vaccine to share them during the Monkeypox outbreaks. The aims to do so would be to offer equitable access to vaccines during another pandemic.
On 27 July, drugmaker Bavarian Nordic said US and European regulators have approved the use of Jynneos vaccine doses made at the company's plant in Denmark as global efforts to tackle the monkeypox outbreak pick up pace.
Bavarian has received orders for millions of doses from across the globe, including nearly 7 million vaccine doses this year and next to the United States.
The Indian government had invited expression of interest (EOI) for developing a vaccine against the monkeypox virus.
