Long-term consequences of monkeypox virus infection or modified vaccinia virus Ankara vaccination in Belgium (MPX-COHORT and POQS-FU-PLUS): a 24-month prospective and retrospective cohort study
The Lancet Infectious Diseases·
- DOI
- 10.1016/s1473-3099(25)00545-6
- PMID
- 41213280
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- W4416019668
- Study type
- Cohort study
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The observed differences in immune durability between natural infection and vaccination highlight potential considerations for maintaining population-level protection against circulating orthopoxviruses.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The investigation evaluates persistent clinical effects following mpox infection and compares the durability of immune responses generated by natural exposure versus MVA-BN immunization.
Study design
A mixed retrospective and prospective cohort framework tracked participants across a twenty-four-month period with scheduled assessments at eight, sixteen, and twenty-four months.
Population and setting
Adult participants recruited in Belgium, predominantly identifying as men with a median age of forty, included individuals recovering from acute mpox and those receiving the specified vaccine.
Main findings
Physical sequelae such as scarring persisted in a subset of infected individuals through the two-year mark, while other initial symptoms generally diminished within twelve months. Laboratory testing revealed no detectable viral genetic material in oral, anorectal, or semen samples during follow-up periods. Immunological assays indicated that prior infection produced more sustained binding antibody levels compared to the vaccine-induced response observed at eight months.
Public-health relevance
The observed differences in immune durability between natural infection and vaccination highlight potential considerations for maintaining population-level protection against circulating orthopoxviruses.
Important limitations
Attendance rates decreased substantially over the twenty-four-month observation window, potentially introducing attrition bias. Furthermore, this assessment depends entirely on the provided abstract and metadata, requiring the complete manuscript for decision-grade interpretation.
GIDS interpretation
This publication provides longitudinal observational data relevant to orthopoxvirus epidemiology and immunogenicity research. It establishes a baseline reference for monitoring viral clearance patterns and comparative vaccine performance without implying real-time outbreak tracking.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 9 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.