Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of Serum Institute of India (SII), announced that the company is working on a vaccine for Mpox, a virus currently causing global concern. He hopes to share good news about the vaccine within a year.
The announcement comes shortly after the government issued guidelines for handling Mpox cases, with the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune taking charge of testing.
Dr. Pragya Yadav, a scientist at NIV, mentioned that while they’ve been testing Mpox samples since 2022, the new strain, CLADE 1B, is raising concerns due to its ability to spread through sexual contact. However, experts believe it won’t require lockdown-like measures.
Dr. Raman Gangakhedkar, a former head at the National AIDS Research Institute, noted that the existing Mpox vaccines are about 80% effective. He suggested that mass vaccination might not be necessary, but those with multiple sexual partners could be prioritized if vaccination becomes needed.
SII and NIV are working hard to tackle the risks posed by Mpox through vaccine development and strategic isolation efforts.
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