The EU’s infectious-disease agency is to recommend that member states prepare strategies for possible vaccination programmes to counter rising monkeypox cases, amid mounting evidence of community transmission of the disease.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), said in response to questions on Sunday that it would make the recommendation in a risk assessment to be published on Monday. Any vaccination drive would use the existing smallpox jab as there is no approved monkeypox inoculation and would mean immunising close contacts of confirmed monkeypox patients.

Smallpox immunity has been shown to offer some cross-protection against monkeypox. Smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980, but vaccine stockpiles have been maintained to hedge against a possible resurgence.