Three more outbreak updates:
1. The U.S. is launching clinical trials to assess the safety and efficacy of tecovirimat, or Tpoxx, the antiviral being used to treat monkeypox, and the Jynneos vaccine. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said it will launch a trial on Tpoxx in September and plans to enroll more than 500 participants. Another trial will evaluate the protection offered by intradermal fractional doses of the vaccine.
2. Four hundred thousand expired doses of the Jynneos vaccine that were in the U.S. stockpile have been found to still be viable, Politico reports. At the nation’s request, manufacturer Bavarian Nordic is continuing to test about 28 million doses that expired two years ago.
3. Suggestions have started rolling in to rename monkeypox. Among the submissions are proposals to call it “OPOXID-22,” “mpox,” and “lymphpox.” The World Health Organization on Aug. 12 said it had started accepting proposals to rename the disease to reduce stigma and align with current best practices.
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