The classic smallpox vaccine protects

Since May 2022, cases of monkeypox or monkeypox, which usually appears as a rash, have been reported in Europe and around the world. Currently, the epidemic is still spreading in some countries and the disease is under tight surveillance. “Treatment of monkeypox consists of supportive care. Vaccines and treatments developed for smallpox and authorized by some countries may be used in certain circumstances to treat the disease,” male Global Health Organization (from).

Analysis of the T-cell immune response

Many of the available data indicate that the classic smallpox vaccine can protect us from monkeypox. And so researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden wondered if people who had been vaccinated decades ago were protected from monkeypox because of a residual memory response. In one study, the team analyzed the T-cell immune response in 105 healthy people, some of whom had been vaccinated against smallpox before 1976. Specifically, they measured the reaction of the T cells to peptides specific to smallpox and smallpox virus.

Monkeypox: “80% protection” thanks to the smallpox vaccine

According to the results published in the journal host cell and microbeAdults born before 1976 who were vaccinated had a significantly stronger immune response against both types of virus. The authors also analyzed the immune response of 22 men who had recently contracted smallpox and showed that they also had a strong immune response to the virus, which may provide immunity in the future.

“This means that memory cells are long-lived and can recognize closely related viruses such as smallpox virus and provide cross-reactive immunity. This study shows that smallpox vaccine can provide approximately 80% protection against monkeypox,” Markus Bogert, author of the work, professor and researcher at the Center for Infectious Medicine at Karolinska Institutet, concluded in statement.