The EU Rejects Monkeypox Border Controls and Joint Vaccination Plan

European health authorities are avoiding taking further bloc-wide measures against the new monkeypox variant, as the risk it poses to the broader population is still considered ‘low.’ Following a meeting on Monday with the European Commission’s Health Security Committee, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), it was concluded that there was no need to implement border controls or initiate bloc-wide vaccination against the monkeypox (mpox) risk.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the evolving monkeypox situation in the European Union (EU) and the potential need for further joint measures, such as vaccination recommendations for the general population or border surveillance for travelers from high-risk areas.

Following the online meeting, which included participants from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a spokesperson added, “HSC members agreed on the importance of a closely coordinated approach and the need to continue monitoring the situation very closely.”

A spokesperson for the European Commission told Euronews that the Health Security Committee (HSC) had decided that there was currently no need to update the stance on mpox vaccination since 2022, stating, “This situation should not be considered a public health emergency in Europe.” While vaccination recommendations for certain groups are being maintained, the possibility of expanding them to the general population was dismissed.

The meeting took place following the WHO’s declaration of a global health emergency last week due to the spread of the mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighboring African countries. (tr.euronews.com)