No Immediate Need for Border Controls or Mass Vaccination Against Mpox, Says European Commission

The European Commission’s Health Security Committee (HSC) has concluded that there is currently no need to impose border controls or initiate bloc-wide vaccinations to combat the mpox virus. This decision follows a recent meeting involving the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), where the latest developments on the mpox situation were discussed.

A spokesperson for the European Commission told Euronews that the HSC agreed there was no need to update the existing 2022 opinion on mpox vaccination. The committee determined that mpox should not be considered a public health emergency in Europe at this time. “The HSC members agreed on the importance of a closely coordinated approach and the need to continue monitoring the situation very closely,” the spokesperson added.

The meeting, conducted online, included participants from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the African Centre for Disease Control. The primary focus was to assess the current state of mpox within the European Union and evaluate the necessity for further joint measures, such as extending vaccination recommendations to the general population or increasing border surveillance of travelers from higher-risk areas. Both measures were ultimately ruled out.

This discussion followed the WHO’s declaration of mpox as a global health emergency last week due to an outbreak spreading in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighboring African countries. The current outbreak is caused by the virus subtype known as ‘clade I,’ which is associated with more severe illness.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, has been endemic in central and western Africa since the first human case was reported in 1970. The virus was declared a global health emergency for the first time in 2022 after outbreaks occurred in countries, including several in Europe, that had not previously reported cases.

Despite the recent WHO declaration, the HSC maintained that vaccination recommendations should continue to focus on certain high-risk groups rather than the general population. Countries like Spain have responded by increasing public information campaigns rather than imposing travel restrictions. Spanish Health Minister Monica García noted that the Spanish government would collaborate with airport authorities and airlines to provide more information to travelers.

The ECDC has warned that it is “highly likely” Europe will see more imported cases of mpox due to the virus’s spread in multiple African countries. However, the agency assessed the overall risk to Europe as low. The ECDC emphasized the importance of “high levels of preparedness planning and awareness-raising activities” to effectively manage any cases that do reach the region, including robust surveillance, testing, and contact tracing efforts.

Mpox is transmitted through close contact with infected animals or people, or by touching virus-contaminated materials. It can enter the body through injuries, wounds, or mucous membranes, and can also be passed from person to person during sexual contact, with the risk of infection increasing after sexual exposure.