The Ministry of Health plans to dispatch a batch of mpox vaccines to Rio de Janeiro. This measure comes after the registration of 74 cases of the disease in the capital city of Rio de Janeiro during September and October, a number seven times higher than recorded in the same period of 2025.
Given this growth, the Ministry of Health has authorized the acquisition of up to 20,000 vaccine doses, aiming to strengthen the supplies available in the Unified Health System (SUS). Despite the increase in the city, Brazil registered a total of 665 cases in 2026, representing a 94% reduction compared to the more than 10,000 cases reported in 2022.
This year, the state of Rio has already received 3,500 doses, including a new shipment of 2,000 units.
Mpox transmission occurs primarily through direct contact with bodily secretions or lesions. Transmission is also possible through prolonged and close contact with respiratory secretions, although the virus does not spread through the air as easily as measles. Kisses can also be a route of contagion, especially if there are lesions on the mouth or face. Furthermore, contaminated clothes, towels, and sheets can transmit the illness. Although it is not classified as a traditional Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI), mpox can be transmitted during sexual activity due to intimate contact.
After viral exposure, the first signs may include fatigue, headache, muscle aches, fever, and swollen lymph nodes. However, the most distinctive symptom is skin lesions, which can start as spots or blisters and progress to pus-covered and crusted sores. These lesions can appear even in the absence of fever or other initial symptoms.
The characteristic of the lesions helps distinguish mpox from other pathologies, such as chickenpox. In mpox, lesions in the same area tend to present similar stages, unlike chickenpox, where they can appear in different phases. Nevertheless, diagnostic confirmation requires laboratory analysis.
Generally, symptoms disappear within a period of two to four weeks. This interval also requires vigilance regarding the risk of transmission, as the individual may continue to spread the virus until all scabs fall off and the skin is fully healed.
Deaths from mpox are uncommon, and most cases present mild or moderate conditions. However, the disease can evolve into a more severe condition in individuals with compromised immune systems, such as people living with untreated HIV, transplant patients, and those undergoing oncological treatment.
Alvaro Costa, an infectious disease specialist at the Brazilian Society of Infectology (SBI), stated in an interview with g1 that the disease has the potential to cause death, but emphasized that this is rare, and for the general population, the risk is considered low. Marcos Vinicius Borges, another infectious disease specialist from the SBI, corroborated this assessment, indicating that mortality usually remains below 1%, although it may be higher in areas with restricted access to health services.
Clinical management focuses primarily on relieving symptoms and preventing complications. In severe situations, the antiviral tecovirimat may be prescribed. Eye lesions require immediate medical evaluation, and secondary bacterial infections may require antibiotics.
In addition to care during infection, vaccination is an important strategy to protect the most vulnerable groups. Within the SUS framework, immunization is not accessible to the entire population; priority is given to people with HIV/AIDS and a CD4 count below 100 cells/mm³. The protocol establishes two doses, separated by a 28-day interval, administered in specialized centers.
When there are surplus doses, other groups may be included, such as individuals with HIV/AIDS and CD4 below 200, PrEP users, and laboratory professionals who handle viral samples. The vaccine may also be recommended after direct contact with a suspected or confirmed case, depending on risk assessment. Administration is preferably done within the first four days after exposure. If it occurs within a 14-day period, the preventive efficacy decreases, but it can still help mitigate serious complications.
In this scenario, the acquisition authorized by the Ministry of Health aims to ensure that SUS stocks are ready for any increases in viral circulation.
