July 25, 2023

A 2022 outbreak of mpox (formerly monkeypox) sickened more than 30,000 people and caused 38 deaths in the United States. It highlighted the lack of an approved vaccine for those under 18 years old. To address this pressing need, faculty-scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) recently launched a Phase 2 safety trial to test a vaccine in adolescents. This clinical trial will investigate whether the vaccine is safe and triggers an immune response in adolescents ages 12 to 17 that is comparable in adults 18 to 50 years old. “While the risk of children and adolescents in the U.S. getting infected with mpox is currently low, it remains important to ensure that currently available vaccines are safe and lead to good immune responses in teenagers,” said James Campbell, MD, MS, professor of pediatrics at UMSOM and principal investigator of the new mpox study’s UMSOM site. 

Read more about the study.