French health authorities do not recommend vaccination for people traveling to high-risk countries

Gregory Emery, Director General of Health, held a press briefing on Tuesday. Several epidemics are currently underway in central Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

These clarifications come at a time when MPOX is once again the subject of international concern, two years after the 2022 pandemic. There is no need to be vaccinated against MPOX if you are traveling to one of the countries where the disease is actively circulating, unless you are part of a risk category of the population, French health authorities ruled on Tuesday, September 3.

For “Travelers who go to these countries (…) do not need to be vaccinated”declared Gregory Emery, Director General of Health, during a press briefing on the management of risks linked to mpox, formerly called “monkey pox”.

Several epidemics are currently underway in central Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They are fueled by a different version of the strain that caused the 2022 epidemic. That epidemic was caused by “clade 2”, which is still circulating quietly in many countries, including France. The epidemics in the DRC are caused by “clade 1”, which has caused hundreds of deaths among children.

But the situation is complicated by the fact that a new version of clade 1, variant 1b, has appeared in the DRC and seems to circulate mainly between adults during sexual contact, as was already the case in the 2022 epidemic.

In this context, the French High Authority for Health (HAS) updated its recommendations on anti-MPOX vaccination on Monday. It did not broaden the scope of people considered at risk and for whom vaccination is recommended: these are mainly men who have homosexual relations, male or female sex workers and anyone working in places dedicated to sexual encounters.

Outside of these risk categories, travelers “do not need to be vaccinated”insisted Grégory Emery, referring to an opinion that should soon be published by the High Council of Public Health (HCSP). This organization should remind the respect of precautionary measures in the countries concerned, for example in terms of the consumption of meat from wild animals. This can indeed contribute to contamination from animals to humans.