What you need to know about the virus that causes monkeypox.
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A top health official has admitted the country will likely not have any monkeypox vaccine supply before any outbreak here.
National director of the National Public Health Service Dr Nick Chamberlain said due to global demand and short supply only countries experiencing outbreaks were currently receiving vaccines.
It comes after national HIV prevention and healthcare organisation Burnett Foundation sent a letter to the Prime Minister urging the Government to develop a vaccine delivery and education plan that prioritises gay and bisexual men while also preventing any stigma.
This is due to overseas experiences finding sexually active gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men most at risk due to the virus spreading through skin-to-skin contact, including unprotected sex.
The letter also called for urgent funding for sexual health clinics, so they could screen for the virus, and help treat those who tested positive.
There have been three cases so far in New Zealand. Chamberlain said they had all come from overseas and were not linked to each other. One had recovered and the other two were in a good condition.
There are now about 18,000 cases worldwide across 75 countries.
The Australian Government has secured 450,000 doses of a third-generation monkeypox vaccine in an effort to contain its outbreak, which has risen to 58.
There are 22,000 doses of the jab due to arrive in the country this week.
Chamberlain said from moment of first case on July 9 there were discussions with Pharmac to procure vaccines, but there was still no guaranteed supply.
The Public Health Agency's deputy director-general Dr Andrew Old. Photo / Mark Mitchell
A large number of countries were trying to get the vaccines, Imvanex, which is only manufactured by one company - Bavarian Nordic - and under enormous global demand.
Asked about claims the Ministry was too slow on ordering Covid vaccines and if it was now too slow again, Chamberlain said he disagreed and that New Zealand had been "as fast as anyone".
Dr Andrew Old, head of the Public Health Agency, said although there was a strong focus on vaccines and anti-virals, that was a "narrow approach".
There was a good chance here with no community transmission to get ahead of any outbreak, including designing appropriate health messaging, he said.
Chamberlain said if they could they'd take 20,000 doses, but would settle for 10,000.
There would not be large amounts of vaccines, and it would not be done in a similar way to the Covid rollout. It would likely be distributed in sexual health clinics, he said, and offered pre-emptively to those deemed high risk.
As the main methods of transmission remained skin-on-skin contact including sexual activity, Chamberlain said people travelling needed to take precautions particularly by practising safe sex.
Covid-19 Response Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall said a multifaceted public health response was being developed around the vaccine, case management, and care for people if they did get sick with monkey pox.
Verrall said experiences with HIV showed how important it was also to get the messaging correct.
Covid-19 Response Minister Ayesha Verrall. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Stigma and misinformation around the HIV epidemic towards the gay community is believed to have contributed to people avoiding or delaying testing.
"Looking after people with other infectious diseases like HIV, it is incredibly important to work with affected communities in this outbreak, because otherwise we end up getting things wrong.
"And if we don't get how we talk about monkeypox right people won't feel safe to come forward and get the testing and care that we need them to do."
