No need for mass vaccination against smallpox in Russia now - health minister

There is no need for mass vaccination against smallpox in Russia today, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko told the media on Wednesday.

"For now, there is no such need," he said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

Murashko stressed that Russia had a powerful laboratory base that allowed for the prompt identification of viruses, including monkeypox.

"Secondly, there are technological platforms for creating drugs and vaccines that enable us to adjust this or that vaccine in a very short period of time to provide assistance. Now several more platforms have been created. They are now in the clinical research phase," he concluded.