The Vaccine Expert Panel (VEP) on Monday said the World Health Organization’s (WHO) move declaring monkeypox as a global health emergency might lead to the large-scale production of vaccines against the disease.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) is working with the WHO, as well as other development partners to obtain smallpox vaccines if ever the Philippines would need it in the fight against monkeypox.
VEP head Dr. Nina Gloriani said monkeypox vaccines remain limited.
Only smallpox and a recently-developed “live-attenuated” vaccine for monkeypox are currently approved to fight the viral disease.
“Monkeypox and smallpox are under one family. The vaccine is not available for the general
population. Stockpile is inadequate,” Gloriani said in a televised briefing.
“Maybe with the declaration of public health emergency of international concern ng WHO, they might strengthen the development and production of the vaccine,” she added.
The Department of Health (DOH) said the country is currently working with international health agencies to secure monkeypox vaccines.
The Philippines has yet to detect a case of monkeypox, even as 72 countries and territories already have reported infections of the viral disease.
Nearly 16,000 people have already been reportedly infected with the disease.
Gloriani said the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and the Philippine Genome Center are so far the only institutions in the country capable of detecting monkeypox through RT-PCR testing.
She hoped government would help centers or laboratories to have the capacity to do genetic testing soon.
The WHO on Saturday declared monkeypox to be a global health emergency —the highest alarm it can raise.
DOH Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire explained that the smallpox vaccine has been authorized by the United States Food and Drug Administration to be used against monkeypox. Willie Casas
“Our issue or challenge right now is that there is a limited supply of the vaccine against monkeypox. That’s why we’re speaking with our development partners like the WHO to access these, or maybe they can donate to us,” Vergeire said.
If the Philippines cannot get the vaccines on time, the public will just have to protect themselves against the diseases by following the same safety measures they have been using against COVID-19.
“What we are doing now for COVID-19 preventive measures also applies to monkeypox kasi yung pagsusuot ng mask, yung palagiang paghuhugas ng kamay, yung lagi tayong vigilant tsaka aware, yan po ay makakatulong satin ano para maprevent natin ang sakit na ito (because wearing a mask, washing our hands regularly, being vigilant and aware, that’s what can help us prevent this disease),” she said.
Monkeypox has affected over 15,800 people in 72 countries, according to a tally by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published on July 20.
The DOH on Sunday assured the public that health authorities are ready to respond to the ongoing monkeypox outbreak while noting that the Philippines has no history of monkeypox in humans.