MONKEYPOX warning!: spread of MPV is now particularly expanding in countries with elevated COVID-19 vaccine coverage rates; we argue there is link between the type of population immunity in high C-19

vaxxed nations & the subsequent expansion of monkeypox virus; so far, predominantly in GAY & bisexuals when there is tearing/trauma to skin/mucosa (anal sex)

WARNING: using a live, attenuated, non-replication competent vaccine is dangerous if we continued this path.

‘Due to the current advanced stage of the evolutionary pathway of the COVID-19 pandemic in highly COVID-19 vaccinated nations, monkeypox virus (MPV) is likely to evolve more infectious/ pathogenic variants.

We argue that public health authorities in several highly COVID-19 vaccinated nations have now started rolling out MPV vaccination campaigns. MPV vaccination in the ‘at risk’ groups (men-who-have-sex-with -men (MSM)) typically use live attenuated (weakened), non-replicating smallpox vaccines. Although these vaccines are much less problematic in terms of vaccine-induced side effects (they have even been approved for use in immunocompromised or immunodeficient people), they can only prevent orthopox (including smallpox) disease, and do not prevent productive infection.

As the type of protection conferred by these vaccines is solely based on the induction of antigen-specific, virus neutralizing antibodies (Abs), MPV vaccination programs using this type of vaccine will inevitably (more than likely) expedite and facilitate adaptive evolution of MPV and hence, further promote dominant circulation of more infectious immune escape variants. Exactly what has occurred with the COVID-19 virus variants using a sub-optimal non-neutralizing vaccine and vaccinal antibodies (placing the spike antigen under natural selection pressure).

As a result, even small-scale deployment of live but attenuated, non-replicating orthopox vaccines targeted at preventing disease in vulnerable individuals (MSM) are highly problematic in that they have the potential to rapidly turn highly COVID-19 vaccinated populations into a human reservoir for asymptomatic transmission of more infectious MPV variants to poorly COVID-19 vaccinated populations that are immunologically naïve to orthopoxvirus.

Viral transmission from these reservoirs is therefore at risk of igniting multi-country epidemics in poorly COVID-19 vaccinated countries while increasing the risk of ADEI and ADED (antibody dependent enhancement of infection and disease) of disease in young COVID-19 unvaccinated children and individuals at high risk of exposure to MPV (due to risky behavior) living in highly COVID-19 vaccinated countries.

SOURCE: Geert VB, ‘Vaccination of vulnerable groups against monkeypox virus (MPV) in a highly C-19 vaccinated population will drive adaptive evolution of MPV and ignite multi-country epidemics in poorly C-19 vaccinated countries’.