Status: 07/29/2022 2:43 p.m
In order to get monkeypox under control in Germany, the German Aidshilfe is demanding one million doses of vaccine – far more than previously ordered. As many people as possible at risk of infection should be vaccinated.
The German Aidshilfe (DAH) has demanded one million vaccine doses against monkeypox. This would be far more than previously ordered by the federal government. “The aim must be to reduce the number of infections as quickly as possible and to get the epidemic under control in the long term,” explained Ulf Kristal from the DAH board in Berlin. This is only possible if as many people as possible who are at risk of infection are vaccinated.
Current vaccine doses are not sufficient
“It must not happen that vaccination-motivated gay men are refused vaccination,” said Axel Jeremias Schmidt, epidemiologist and DAH consultant for medicine and health policy, according to a statement. The federal government must order as soon as possible, short-term purchases are hardly possible in the near future.
According to the Ministry of Health, the federal government has so far ordered 240,000 vaccine doses, of which 40,000 have initially been delivered. 200,000 are to follow by the end of September. But that’s not enough, says Schmidt: “We don’t assume that the epidemic will be over when the previously available doses have been vaccinated.” As long as monkeypox infections exist, people who are at risk should be offered vaccinations.
Risk of infection for homosexuals
As of today, according to the Robert Koch Institute, there are 2,595 cases of monkeypox in Germany. The Standing Vaccination Commission recommends vaccination against monkeypox for certain risk groups and people who have had close contact with infected people. She sees an increased risk of infection in men who have same-sex sexual contact with changing partners.
The epidemiologist Schmidt estimates the number of homosexual and bisexual men who have sex with different partners at more than half a million. It is true that not everyone is interested in vaccination. But there were also people who were only temporarily in Germany. In addition, it cannot be ruled out that the monkeypox virus will soon also affect other population groups, he emphasized.
Kristal from the DAH board of directors called on the federal government to campaign for a massive expansion of vaccine production so that everyone around the world at risk could have access to vaccination.