The UK Government has announced they have secured over 150,000 more mpox vaccines to ensure we are prepared for potential outbreaks. The UK's leading HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust are pleased that the government has committed to doing that today, following their campaign for the government must be ready for all virus threats, including mpox and STIs.

 In November 2023, The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised the government to introduce routine mpox vaccines and the newly approved MenB gonorrhoea vaccine in sexual health services. Terrence Higgins Trust have been calling for this to be implemented since to prevent a further mpox outbreak, turn the tide on soaring gonorrhoea rates, and hold back antibiotic resistance. Our charity discussed this with the new Public Health Minister Andrew Gwynne in July 2024, outlining the steps needed in HIV and sexual health in the first 100 days of government.

Richard Angell, Chief Executive at Terrence Higgins Trust, said:

“This is a big win for our campaign to make mpox vaccines available and very welcome news that the Government has listened. Today Ministers have agreed to implement the JCVI recommendations from November 2023 on mpox vaccination, have secured over 150,000 additional doses of mpox vaccine, and found funding to roll out a vaccination programme. The first line of defence against future outbreaks is vaccines.

While there are no cases of clade 1 mpox confirmed in the UK, it’s important that lessons from the outbreak in summer 2022 are learned – that includes ensuring access to mpox vaccines and equity in its provision. The JCVI also recommended a programme for the gonorrhoea vaccine – this should now be expedited to stop the rising tide of new diagnoses.“

The experience of mpox in summer 2022 should be a wakeup call. It showed how even a relatively small number of cases of a virus can inflict a huge strain on our health system. Sexual health services reacted heroically as the service of choice for those with mpox but were not properly resourced to do so. We were lucky, but they are still suffering for responding brilliantly to demand. We cannot respond to future outbreaks solely on the goodwill of our healthcare workforce. That’s why we called for a plan, proper capacity and resilience.

Learning the lessons from this means embracing expert advice and implementing it quickly. The purchase of additional mpox vaccines will help ensure the UK is well prepared for future mpox outbreaks.

The vaccine will be offered to those eligible in stages as it becomes available over time and based on clinical need. The government has agreed the following people should be offered vaccination, based on expert advice:

• Gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) previously identified as higher risk for mpox as a continuation of the clade II mpox vaccination programme, as advised by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) in November 2023 – planning is under way for how and when the vaccine will be rolled out as part of this existing programme
• Certain healthcare workers in agreed infectious diseases inpatient units and sexual health services
• Certain specialist healthcare and humanitarian workers who go to affected countries to work within mpox response or sites with active outbreaks following a risk assessment
• Close contacts of a confirmed case to lower their risk of becoming infected and reducing their risk of severe disease

Notes to editors

Terrence Higgins Trust briefing – First steps to ending new HIV cases: HIV and sexual health in the first 100 days of government

Step Five: Accept JCVI advice on mpox and gonorrhoea vaccines.

• Rates of gonorrhoea in England are at a record high, while sexual health services have still not recovered from the impact of the mpox outbreak of 2022.8 New mpox cases are still recorded each month in the UK – sixteen in April 2024 – and scientists at UKHSA remain concerned that there could be future outbreaks.
• In November 2023, the JCVI advised the government to introduce routine mpox and gonorrhoea vaccine programmes.10 The JCVI recommended that sexual health services should undertake opportunistic vaccination of those at increased risk.
• This could prevent another mpox outbreak and turn the tide on soaring gonorrhoea rates. The introduction of a MenB vaccination programme to prevent gonorrhoea would also be a world first.
• Civil servants are waiting for the ministerial instruction necessary to take this forward. If the new Health Secretary formally accepted the advice of JCVI on these vaccines, civil servants could then work on the operational details of how a programme could be delivered. Giving this instruction would show a clear sign of intent on vaccines and sexual health.