Italy has begun its monkeypox vaccination campaign after reporting more than 500 cases of the virus, according to the health ministry.
The first doses were given on 8 August at the Spallanzani Hospital in Rome. The country will be using the Jynneos (MVA-BN) vaccine, which was made for smallpox but has been approved by the European Medicines Agency for protection against monkeypox.
The campaign comes as vaccine supplies run low worldwide, with the number of cases continuing to rise. In the UK, doses are currently being offered to some men who have sex with men who may be at hire risk of getting the virus, with the criteria used to assess who gets it being similar to that of PrEP.
As of 8 August, there are 2,914 confirmed and 103 highly probable monkeypox cases in the UK (3,017 in total), according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).