White House: first data show monkeypox vaccine is effective

The Department of Health and Human services is releasing its first wave of research on the efficacy of monkeypox vaccine, and the White House says it shows that unvaccinated individuals are 14 times more likely to get monkeypox than individuals who have gotten a single dose of the vaccine.

The United States has seen more than 25,000 cases of monkeypox this year, and the data was collected from 32 states between July and September 2022.

"These new data provide us with a level of cautious optimism that the vaccine is working as intended," said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky during a briefing Wednesday by the White House National Response Team.

"These early findings and similar results from studies in other countries suggest that even one dose of the monkeypox vaccine offers at least some initial protection against infection," she said.

"We continue to collect data on what happens after second dose. And as soon as those data are available, we will again present them to you," Walensky said.

Most of the cases reported in the U.S. have been among men who have sex with men, but health officials stress that anyone can get the disease.

"Our strategy is working, said Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, the White House Monkeypox Response deputy coordinator.

"We need to keep our momentum going and continue evolving our monkeypox response to make sure that we move closer to achieving equity in our work, to serve the LGBTQAI+ community, and specifically the black and brown communities who are overrepresented in this outbreak," he said.

"Nationally, reported daily cases to continue to decline week over week," Walensky said.

"Even so, we're monitoring trends closely in individual states and regions and remain vigilant and proactive in our robust education and prevention efforts," she said.