Russia develops monkeypox vaccine - Federal Medical-Biological Agency head

VLADIVOSTOK. Sept 6 (Interfax) - Russia's Federal Medical-Biological Agency (FMBA) has developed a vaccine against monkeypox; it is undergoing preclinical trials, the data so far has shown the vaccine is safe, FMBA chief Veronika Skvortsova said.

"A modern vector vaccine has now been developed against monkeypox. And it is already undergoing preclinical trials (...) According preliminary studies, it possesses both a high immunogenicity and, most importantly, is safe and causes no such complicated side effects," Skvortsova said during an Eastern Economic Forum session on Tuesday.

Monkeypox is a rare infectious disease, which is most common in remote parts of Central and West Africa. Its symptoms are nausea, fever, rash, itchy skin and muscle pain.

On July 12, the consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor reported the first case of monkeypox in Russia. The patient had returned from Portugal. The infected person had mild symptoms and was discharged.