From today Kiwis are able to complete Monkypox Assessment, but there is still no official date set for vaccine roll out.
From today, Kiwis can complete an assessment to see if they are eligible for a monkeypox vaccine, despite no vaccine being officially approved for use in NZ yet.
A vaccine is now in the country, but the government won’t name it because it has yet to be formally approved by Medsafe.
Associated Health Minister Ayesha Verrall encouraged those who think they may be eligible to register to complete an assessment by their GP.
“We are making sure that everyone has the opportunity for a funded visit with their medical practitioner to discuss whether the vaccine is right for them,” Verall told 1News.
Speaking to 1News, Nikki Turner from the Immunisation Advisory Centre said the current arrangement was unprecedent and a “slightly unusual situation”.
“It is difficult to talk about a vaccine that hasn’t been approved in New Zealand,” she said.
“However, I’m confident to talk about this vaccine because it does have international approval. It would be really good to get New Zealand approval to make it easier to spread information about it,” she said.
New Zealand will be one of the last western nations to roll out a vaccine for monkeypox, which have been available in Australia since July 2022.
