Serum Institute of India in Works to Develop Vaccine for Mpox

Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India (SII), has announced that the company is working on developing a vaccine for Mpox, with expectations of a "positive outcome" within a year. This development comes in response to the global Mpox outbreak, which has prompted health concerns worldwide. Poonawalla emphasized the importance of this initiative, stating that the vaccine could potentially safeguard millions of lives at risk due to the outbreak.

The Indian government has also issued guidelines for managing Mpox cases, focusing on isolating suspected cases and testing efforts. The National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune has been at the forefront of testing Mpox samples since 2022. Dr. Pragya Yadav, a scientist at the NIV, shared that although the institute has received several samples, none have tested positive so far. However, concerns are growing due to the emergence of a new lineage of the Mpox virus.

The efforts by both SII and the government are aimed at controlling the spread of the virus and addressing the potential public health threat posed by Mpox.