Australia (Commonwealth Union) – Monkeypox was initially identified in humans in the Democratic Republic of the Congo back in 1970 and reemerged 2022 in Africa where it spread to neighboring countries and eventually made its way across the world. The Kirby Institute at The University of New South Wales (UNSW), which is joining hands with community and government partners, launched the country’s biggest monkeypox (MPX) study in early October. The study known as TraX, will provide timely information on the MPX vaccine administrations and monitor the real-world vaccine effectiveness.
Australia commenced MPX vaccinations to high-risk communities in August with the expectation of advancing the rollout with further vaccine availability. It is a worldwide requirement to accurately understand how much the vaccine is able to lower the transmission of MPX and if there are variations in effectiveness using different modes of vaccine administration.
Professor Andrew Grulich, Research leader at the Kirby Institute stated that the TraX study will monitor the vaccine rollout across the country by gathering information for the next 18 months on MPXincidences and vaccine uptake and effectivity.
As of 29 September 2022, 136 cases of MPX have been recorded across the country. The Australian Chief Medical Officer declared MPX to be a Communicable Disease Incident of National importance. MPX primarily results in a mild flu-like illness linked with a rash, but for a few cases it can become serious. Presently men engaging in same sex activities account for 95 % of cases worldwide.
The TraX study is being carried out in collaboration with NSW Health. Dr Valerie Delpech, Director of the Communicable Diseases Branch for NSW Health and co-chief investigator on the TraX Study said, “The findings will help inform our public health response, including our health promotion activities, to reduce the spread of MPX and its impact on communities in NSW.”
