evidence: Monkeypox vaccination begins — can the global outbreaks be contained? Some countries have begun to use smallpox vaccines to protect people exposed to the monkeypox virus. But researchers see challenges ahead. [...] As global monkeypox cases continue to rise, public-health officials and researchers are questioning whether the current outbreaks can be contained. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the situation is unlikely to escalate into a full-blown pandemic. But there are now more than 1,000 confirmed infections in nearly 30 countries where outbreaks do not usually occur (see ‘Unusual spread’).