It joins in this approach the United Kingdom, the United States or Canada, as demanded by LGBTQ + associations, health professionals and left-wing parties.
Until then, vaccination was only offered to adults, including caregivers, who had risky contact with a patient. About 700 people have been vaccinated.
But “faced with the spread of the Monkeypox virus, the kinetics of the epidemic and the difficulties of tracing the contacts of infected people”, the High Health Authority recommended extending vaccination to be able to administer it preventively to more exposed by “their sexual practices or their profession”.
France had 721 cases, including 4 women and 2 children, mainly in Ile-de-France, according to the latest report from Public Health France released on Thursday.
As in other countries, the majority of reported cases concern men who have sex with men.
The possibility of preventive vaccination concerns “men who have sex with men and trans people reporting multiple sexual partners, people in a situation of prostitution, professionals in places of sexual consumption”, specified the HAS.
“Next week”
On a visit to Dijon, the Minister of Health François Braun clarified that “in conjunction with the regional health authorities, the ministry is finalizing the necessary measures so that this vaccination can start from the beginning of next week” .
Those eligible “will be able to start making appointments next week”, according to Jérôme Salomon, Director General of Health.
“As of next week, around ten sites in Ile-de-France”, the most affected region, will offer vaccination to the wider public, according to the Regional Health Agency. And a telephone line, “Monkeypox Health Listening”, reachable on 0 801 90 80 69, will open from Wednesday, 7 days a week, from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Two vaccines are available in France, Imvanex, in the European version, and Jynneos in the American version, third-generation vaccines (live vaccines that do not replicate in the human body), produced by Bavarian Nordic.
“We are now able to meet the needs of the centers in the coming weeks,” assured Jérôme Salomon.
France will not receive doses from the first order from the EU, because it had “a stock and is in solidarity with countries which did not have any”, but it is “quite possible” that it “will associates” with “next orders”, according to him.
Vaccination is carried out with two doses, spaced 28 days apart. For people vaccinated against smallpox in the past, a single dose is sufficient. For the immunocompromised, a third is recommended.
At this stage, the HAS does not recommend the preventive vaccination of caregivers taking care of the sick, judging the hygiene measures and the mask sufficient. But it can be considered in some cases.
6,000 cases worldwide
The monkeypox virus can be transmitted by direct contact with a patient’s skin or mucous membrane lesions, as well as by droplets. “Sexual intercourse, with or without penetration, meets these conditions for contamination, and having several partners increases the risk of being exposed to the virus”, recalled Public Health France.
Contamination can also occur through contact with the patient’s environment (bedding, clothing, bath linen, etc.). At this stage, the cases reported in Europe are mostly mild, and no deaths have been reported. This viral disease most often heals spontaneously, after 2 to 3 weeks.
An unusual upsurge in cases has been detected since May outside the countries of Central and West Africa where the virus is endemic, with some 6,000 cases recorded worldwide according to the WHO.
With more than 80% of cases, Europe remains by far the most affected region. Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain are the most affected countries, with more than 1,000 cases each.
On Wednesday, WHO boss Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated his concern over the outbreak of monkeypox. He will convene, no later than the week of July 18, the Emergency Committee, which must help him to judge whether to reassess the seriousness of the crisis.