Poxvirus Vaccines: Past, Present, and Future

SmallpoxSmallpox was a significant cause of mortality for over three thousand years, amounting to 10% of deaths yearly. Edward Jenner discovered smallpoxSmallpox vaccinationVaccination in 1796, which rapidly became a smallpoxSmallpox infection preventive practice throughout the world and eradicated smallpoxSmallpox infection by 1980. After smallpoxSmallpox eradicationEradication, monkeypoxMonkeypox vaccines have been used primarily in research and in outbreaks in Africa, where the disease is endemic. In the present, the vaccines are being used for people who work with animals or in high-risk areas, as well as for healthcare workers treating patients with monkeypoxMonkeypox. Among all orthopoxviruses (OPXV), monkeypoxMonkeypox viral (MPXV) infection occurs mainly in cynomolgus monkeys, natural reservoirs, and occasionally causes severe multi-organ infection in humans, who were the incidental hosts. The first case of the present epidemic of MXPV was identified on May 7, 2022, and rapidly increased the number of cases. In this regard, the WHO declared the outbreak, an international public health emergency on July 23, 2022. The first monkeypoxMonkeypox vaccine was developed in the 1960s by the US Army and was based on the vaccinia virus, which is also used in smallpoxSmallpox vaccines. In recent years, newer monkeypoxMonkeypox vaccines have been developed based on other viruses such as Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA). These newer vaccines are safer and can provide longer-lasting immunity with fewer side effects. For the future, there is ongoing research to improve the current vaccines and to develop new ones. One notable advance has been the development of a recombinant vaccine that uses a genetically modified vaccinia virus to express monkeypoxMonkeypox antigens. This vaccine has shown promising results in pre-clinical trials and is currently undergoing further testing in clinical trials. Another recent development has been the use of a DNA vaccine, which delivers genetic material encoding monkeypoxMonkeypox antigens directly into cells. This type of vaccine has shown effectiveness in animal studies and is also undergoing clinical testing in humans. Overall, these recent advancesRecent advances in monkeypoxMonkeypox vaccine development hold promise for protecting individuals against this potentially serious disease.