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Monkeypox virus test results document with stethoscope. Wake County nurses vaccinated about 550 people against monkeypox at a walk-in clinic over the weekend.
Getty Images/iStockphoto
To continue slowing the spread of monkeypox, state health officials have expanded eligibility for the vaccine.
Beginning Wednesday, anyone who has sex with men who have sex with men can get the two-dose vaccine, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.
This includes women who have sex with bisexual men.
As of Tuesday, there were 377 reported cases of monkeypox in the state. Nearly all of them were in men and just over two-thirds of them were among Black or African American, according to the state health department’s website.
More than 11,400 monkeypox vaccines had been administered in the state as of Aug. 31. More vaccine doses are expected to be coming soon, according to a news release.
Other eligible people for the vaccine include:
- Anyone who has had close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with monkeypox in the last two weeks
- People who have had sexual contact with gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men or transgender people in the last 90 days
- Gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men or transgender people who are sexually active
- People living with HIV or taking medication to prevent HIV, also known as PreP
- People who were diagnosed with syphilis in the past 90 days
JYNNEOS is the most widely available monkeypox vaccine and requires two doses at least 28 days apart, according to state officials.
To reach maximum protection against the virus, it takes 14 days after getting the second dose of JYNNEOS.
People who have already been exposed to monkeypox but do not have symptoms can be vaccinated to prevent illness or lead to milder symptoms if given within 14 days after exposure.
Other safety measures
While the virus can be contracted by anyone, monkeypox cases are mostly found in gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men, the news release said.
The expanded eligibility allows some gay, bisexual and other men to get the monkeypox vaccine who may have been prevented before.
Additionally, almost half of the monkeypox cases in the state are diagnosed in people living with HIV, those who are taking medicine to prevent HIV, or people who have recently contracted a sexually transmitted disease, the news release said.
State health officials encourage people to see a health care provider if they have a new or an unexplained rash. Using a condom can also lower the risk of monkeypox infection.
Monkeypox was first discovered in North Carolina in June. The virus, spread through skin-to-skin contact, is part of same virus family as smallpox so the symptoms are similar but milder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The infection is rarely fatal and typically lasts two to four weeks.
A rash is the most noticeable symptom of monkeypox and resembles pimples or blisters that appear on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals or anus.
Most people get a rash first before showing other symptoms which can include a fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion or chills.
The latest data and information on monkeypox in the state, including testing and vaccine sites, can be found on the Department of Health and Human Services’ website.
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