The sources added that the manufacturers will develop the vaccine in a public-private partnership (PPP) mode.
New Delhi: As many as 31 bids were received by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) from manufacturers who are interested to develop Monkeypox vaccine and kits to detect the virus, said sources.
The sources added that the manufacturers will develop the vaccine in a public-private partnership (PPP) mode. As many as eight pharmaceutical firms have floated their interest in developing a monkeypox vaccine, while 23 others have applied to manufacture the Monkeypox detection kits, sources said.
Until now, India has reported 10 cases of Monkeypox, with most of the cases being recorded in Delhi and Kerala. The latest case was recorded in Delhi, taking the tally to five. The patient, a 22-year-old woman had returned from Nigeria. The country has also recorded one death due to Monkeypox.
In July, at a Covid-19 media briefing, director general of World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus asked men at risk of monkeypox to consider limiting sexual partners for now.
“For men who have sex with men, this includes, for the moment, reducing your number of sexual partners, reconsidering sex with new partners, and exchanging contact details with any new partners to enable follow-up if needed,” Ghebreyesus said.
Over 18,000 cases of Monkeypox have now been reported to WHO from 78 countries, with more than 70% of cases reported from the European Region, and 25% from the Region of the Americas. So far, five deaths have been reported, and about 10% of cases are admitted to hospital to manage the pain caused by the disease.
