Earlier this week the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it would order 2.5 million more JYNNEOS doses – the vaccine for Monkeypox. The agency said it would also make an additional 131,000 doses available to states and jurisdictions to address the recent Monkeypox outbreak. The first case reported in the US was here in Boston at Mass General Brigham hospital on May 18, 2022, but since that time outbreaks have been reported in 43 states.
UPDATED AUG 5, 2022:
New Guidance from CDC including how to lower risk during sex, what to do if a new or unexplained rash (or other symptoms) appear, and how to lower your chance of exposure at places like raves, parties, clubs, and festivals: Updated CDC Guidance.
New York has the most confirmed cases with just under 500 cases as of July 15th. Massachusetts has 51 confirmed cases by July 15th. You can see how many reported cases are in your state using the CDC 2022 U.S. Map and Case Count.
Fenway Health has set up an excellent site to address questions about Monkeypox, that includes a fact sheet, information on how the virus is spread, symptoms to watch for, and treatment. And this week The Boston Globe published an excellent article about how Provincetown has mobilzed in response to the outbreak for those interested in learning more read, Inside Provincetown’s ‘Herculean’ effort to save the summer from monkeypox.
Vaccination eligibility
If you live or work in Massachusetts and are interested in getting the JYNNEOS vaccine, you will need to meet the CDC’s current eligibility criteria, prioritizing those who are most at risk of exposure to an individual with monkeypox. This includes:
Known contacts identified by public health via case investigation, contact tracing, and risk exposure assessments (this may include sexual partners, household contacts, and healthcare workers); as well as
Presumed contacts who meet the following criteria:
+ Know that a sexual partner in the past 14 days was diagnosed with monkeypox
+ Had multiple sexual partners in the past 14 days in a jurisdiction with known monkeypox
How to obtain a vaccine
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health intends to expand eligibility as more doses become available. You can follow the latest updates including how (and where) to make a vaccination appointment on the MassGov webpage set up to address questions about Monkeypox.
Where I can get the Monkeypox vaccine
The state of Massachusetts currently has more than a dozen vaccination sites but considering the increasing concern and spread of the virus bookmark this page as more sites may be added.
BosGuy 