Good reminder that we built a smallpox vaccine stockpile after 9/11 due to bioterrorism concerns. This vaccine provides protection against monkeypox. And older adults should likely still have some protection from their original vaccination. We also have smallpox antivirals that have shown promise against monkeypox in animal trials.
We could see ring vaccination campaigns being used again for monkeypox. Unlike mass vaccination, close contacts near the infected are vaccinated to break transmission. Ring vaccination was used with great success against smallpox before its eradication. The smallpox vaccine is highly effective against stopping transmission.
This is a much different situation from the coronavirus pandemic in more ways than you can count.
The third generation smallpox vaccines are also much safer and have less reactogenicity compared to the ones that were used to eradicate it.