From the desk of: Prof Peter Vickerman et al., Population Health Sciences - University of Bristol
Published 1 July 2025 in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe
By Julia Mullins, Co-Editor-in-Chief
Research conducted by the University of Bristol shows continuing targeted mpox vaccination programme for gay and bisexual men in England will reduce case numbers and save millions for the NHS.
Mpox, known previously as monkeypox, is an infectious disease caused by the MPXV virus. You might remember the name from headlines back in 2022 as cases rose in the UK and mpox was declared a global outbreak.
With the aim of mathematically modelling mpox transmission and vaccination strategies, the University of Bristol, the UK Health Security Agency, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research partnered to publish a study.
Not only does the outcome show a reduction in cases and cost savings, it also resulted in improvements to quality of life among the affected group, compared with no vaccination. Their vaccination strategy projects a £9m cost saving and 90% reduction in mpox cases over the next ten years.
The preferred strategy they propose is a combination of pre-emptive and reactive vaccinations. This means providing a routine number of preventative vaccinations regardless of outbreaks and then increasing the rate of vaccination during UK outbreaks.
Professor Peter Vickerman, joint senior author of the paper, describes the proactive vaccination programme as ‘a clear win-win’ providing both better health outcomes and saving cash.
Mpox is a zoonotic disease meaning it first occurred in animals and was transmitted to humans. The term ‘monkeypox’ refers to its first discovery in 1958 where an outbreak was reported in monkeys kept for research in Denmark. The first human case was reported 12 years later in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Since then, case numbers have steadily risen in central, east, and west Africa, with thousands of reports annually in the DRC since 2005.
While mpox is rare and UK cases have fallen significantly since 2022 one strain of mpox is currently responsible for an expanding outbreak in sub-saharan Africa. This means that the applications of this Bristol research could prove vital for limiting the threat of another substantial outbreak across the UK and, although the study is specific to England, it points out that comparable, non-endemic countries should consider similar strategies too.
UK cases have predominantly been in GBMSM (gay and bisexual men who have sex with men), with the infection being passed from person-to-person by close or sexual contact. Though the study was limited to GBMSM, the research team have hopes to expand their modelling to include mpox transmissions occurring due to heterosexual intercourse.
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Dr Sema Mandal, another co-author of the paper, stated that ‘getting vaccinated is easier than ever before. If you are eligible, please do make sure you have had the vaccine to protect yourself from mpox.’
The NHS offers the mpox vaccine to anyone considered at high risk according to criteria listed on the NHS mpox webpage; if eligible, the NHS site also provides a link to find your nearest vaccination site.
Featured Image: NIHR HPRU in Evaluation and Behavioural Science / University of Bristol
