Denmark ramps up Monkeypox preparations by purchasing more vaccines despite low risk

The Danish minister of health, Magnus Heunicke, stated that the government intends to buy an extra 2,000 to 3,000 vaccines, which will be distributed to individuals who have had direct contact with those infected with the monkeypox virus.

"It's not a crowd vaccine; it's aimed at close contacts," Heunicke explained.

The decision comes after the index case of the virus in Denmark was disclosed on Monday, followed by a second case early on Tuesday. According to a new risk analysis from the Statens Serum Institut, there is a significantly low risk of broader social infection with monkeypox in Denmark, but more infection is expected.

After a news conference at the Ministry of Health, Martin Geertsen, the health spokesman told TV2 News, "most importantly, there is a need for some quietness.  The health officials are totally calm."

The jabs will be provided by the Danish firm Bavarian Nordic, according to the health official. The health official further explained that it is used to prevent chickenpox but is also effective against monkeypox. It will only be given by senior doctors who specialize in communicable diseases.

"The vaccine must be administered when you've been exposed to the infection and will lower the risk of a severe manifestation of the virus," chief physician, Bolette Søborg said. Monkeypox symptoms include a rash with blisters that can reveal lesions after healing, shivering, and fever, according to the Danish health ministry.

Monkeypox typically takes six to sixteen days to develop and can take up to twenty-one days. The individual with the virus is no longer contagious once the sores have dried and peeled off.  Monkeypox differs from Covid-19 in the sense that you are only infectious if you have symptoms. Infection can occur through direct contact with body fluids or through the respiratory tract.