Smallpox monkeys, vaccination underway. But it’s gay, transgender and bisexual controversy

The vaccination campaign for monkeypox starts on Monday 8 August from the Spallanzani hospital in Rome. After the circular from the Ministry of Health, which defined the modalities and the audience of immunization, from today the National Institute for Infectious Diseases will lead the way in the administration of the serum followed by Milan which will start the campaign this week. In the other two regions most affected by the infections, Veneto and Emilia Romagna, the date for the start of administration has not yet been set. In Lombardy, where the cases found have risen to 269, a task force has been created which also includes three representatives of associations active in the fight against AIDS, Milano Check Point, the Milanese section of Lila and Asa. The audience The document released by the ministry explains that “at the moment, the mode of contagion and the speed of spread as well as the effectiveness of non-pharmacological measures” exclude the need for a mass vaccination campaign “. Vaccination will be directed to: laboratory personnel with possible direct exposure to orthopoxvirus; gay, transgender, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM), which fall into some specific risk categories. The definition of the aforementioned categories in the ministerial circular has already aroused controversy, as we will see later. The vaccine: instructions Imvanex is the vaccine marketed in Europe. Ema recently extended the indications of use previously only for smallpox also for monkeypox. Indicated from 18 years of age, vaccination provides two doses at least 4 weeks 28 days apart. A second circular established the allocation of the first shares of the Jynneos smallpox vaccine following the arrival of the first tranche by the European Commission. The supply In this first phase, after consulting the Regions and the autonomous provinces, “it was decided to divide the doses of …