Are smallpox vaccines effective against the new monkeypox variant? Hong Kong research offers first insight
- Data analysis from HKUST team makes first step in closing knowledge gap, but more clinical trials needed
- Hong Kong last week reported its first case of monkeypox in a 30-year-old man who had arrived from overseas
Smallpox vaccines are likely to be effective against the new monkeypox variant, Hong Kong researchers have found, offering the first insights into how this could potentially curb the latest worldwide outbreaks.
Due to the low occurrence of major monkeypox outbreaks in the past, there have been limited clinical data on the efficacy of smallpox vaccines on the virus and its new variants in humans.
But a data analytical study by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has made the first step in closing the knowledge gap.
“Our study suggests that the [smallpox] vaccine will generate a strong immune response against the new monkeypox virus,” research assistant professor Ahmed Abdul Quadeer of HKUST’s electronic and computer engineering department said.
“We anticipate that the efficacy of the vaccine will also be high against monkeypox.”
He stressed that as the findings were only predictive, clinical trials would still be necessary to prove the effectiveness of the vaccine.
The research was co-led by Quadeer and Professor Matthew McKay from the University of Melbourne’s department of electrical and electronic engineering. Their findings have been peer-reviewed and published in scientific journal Viruses this month.