Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department and the UK Health Security Agency are taking to help ensure that people at risk of exposure to monkeypox but not currently eligible for vaccination will be protected against the virus once the current vaccine rollout has concluded.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) current vaccination strategy is to target monkeypox vaccination for three groups: a) healthcare workers who are caring for and who are due to start caring for a patient with confirmed monkeypox, b) gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) at higher risk of exposure and c) people who have already had close contact with a patient with confirmed monkeypox.

UKHSA expert advice, endorsed by Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), is to offer two vaccine doses to the eligible cohort across the United Kingdom. UKHSA will continue to review the ongoing outbreak and issue updated advice on how to protect those at risk from monkeypox as required.

UKHSA has worked closely with stakeholder groups, including the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV and other charities to raise awareness through targeted communication channels amongst the GBMSM population of the epidemiology, risks and actions to protect themselves and others, alongside encouraging those within the eligible cohort to get vaccinated.