Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the UK Health Security Agency plans to release its assessment of the efficacy of fractional dosing in vaccination against monkeypox as a means of addressing the discrepancy in estimated doses of vaccination that are required; and is she will make a statement.

In August 2022, following the emergency use approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation endorsed the use of a fractional dose of the vaccines used for monkeypox given by intradermal injection during periods of supply constraints.

Under the approach, eligible people are offered a 0.1 millilitre (ml) dose of the vaccines, instead of the 0.5ml dose typically administered. This will potentially enable up to a five-fold increase in the number of people that can be offered vaccination. NHS England and the UKHSA are currently assessing the operational feasibility of using fractional dosing, including necessary staffing model, vaccination throughput, volume and patient experience.