Monkeypox Vaccine: Central government invites bid for monkeypox vaccine

The Central Government has invited bids for the Monkeypox Vaccine. The central government has invited this tender for manufacturing monkeypox vaccine, diagnostic kits in public-private partnership mode. The central government has invited expressions of interest from experienced vaccine manufacturers and in-vitro diagnostic kit manufacturers. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said, it is ready to provide strains of monkeypox virus. It also invites joint cooperation in public-private partnership mode for research and development of vaccine against monkeypox disease. It is also ready to support the activities of vaccine and diagnostic kit manufacturing along with research and development validation using specific isolates of monkeypox virus.

The last date for participating in the tender is August 10. The World Health Organization has also called for the manufacture of a vaccine for monkeypox. The WHO said, the Covid-19 vaccine has saved millions of lives and prevented the infection from becoming uncontrollable. 

So far, more than 18 thousand cases of monkeypox have been found worldwide. These cases are spread in 78 countries. 70 percent of these cases have been found in European countries and 25 percent in America. So far five of its patients have died and in 10 percent of the cases the patient has to be hospitalized. WHO says that all countries should increase mutual cooperation regarding this disease and research and development activities should be promoted to prevent infection.

Experts say that 98 percent of the cases of monkeypox have been reported in people who have physical relations between men, but any other person who comes in contact with such infected patients can also get monkeypox. This is the reason why the WHO has called for the development of a vaccine that gives immunity to at-risk groups, especially children, pregnant women and people with serious diseases.