Valencian Monkeypox Vaccine

All hospitals in Valencia They have already implemented it vaccination schedule against the mpox virus, formerly known as monkeypox. The Ministry of Health has carried out the necessary information tasks for health personnel and services to implement them and to ensure that health workers know the protocol to follow when immunizing against the disease. This was done just a week after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international health emergency due to the rise in cases in Central Africa, although it had already announced on Monday that it would establish an international health emergency. vaccination point in each of Valencia hospitals with preventive medicine services, besides HAKLES. This is in addition to the three provincial CIPS (AIDS Information and Prevention Centres) that were already running it. There will be a total of about thirty vaccination points in the Valencian Community.

The staff are aware of the protocol, although this may change in the coming days when the Ministry of Health updates the protocol for tourists and travellers. As agreed at the meeting of the Public Health Commission held yesterday, the specific case of each person travelling to Central Africa will be studied to determine whether vaccination is recommended or not. The autonomous communities have requested this and according to the executive order This will be what will determine the change in the current protocol. At this meeting, it was also decided not to extend the vaccination beyond the risk groups for which the Valencian Generalitat “has all the necessary means to guarantee vaccination,” said Minister Marciano Gómez.

Epidemiological “normality”

The expansion of vaccination points is a preventive measure because, according to Gómez, the epidemiological situation is “normal”, so “the population can be confident because we are not facing a situation similar to that of covid19”. In fact, Salvador Peiró de Fisabio already ruled out last week the possibility of an outbreak of cases similar to the one that occurred in 2022, when the Valencian Autonomous Region recorded 547 confirmed positive cases.

Official data also indicate low transmission of the disease.. In 2024, the Valencian Community has registered only 12 positive cases; and only one of them occurred in July and August, as stated yesterday in the latest report of the Ministry of Health. This leaves total number 585 since 2022, and 93% of them occurred in 2022.

Double-sided diagram

Design of a vaccination schedule against the mpox virus there will be two ways:

• One for risk groups.
• And one more for those who have been exposed to confirmed cases.

In this the first of the groupsthere are people at risk. Health recommends immunization before potential exposure to the disease. There are people who engage in risky sexual practices; especially, but not exclusively, men who have sex with other men; and people who are at risk because of their profession. It is mainly treated in consultations or laboratories. These groups must request vaccination either at the provincial CIPS or at their referral hospital, through health centres, satellite clinics, continuing care sites or sexual and reproductive health centres. They will also be referred to preventive medicine specialists from the emergency department or outpatient clinics for internal medicine, infectious diseases, dermatology and others.

Against, second group will with reference to employees medical centers after an infected person identifies their contacts. In addition, people who say they have been in contact with a person infected with the virus will be referred to a preventive health service to see if they will be vaccinated. If you are a healthcare worker, you must submit a request through Department of prevention of professional risks.