The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) apublic health emergencylast week. Amid a vaccine supply shortage, health authorities are exploring new strategies to get as many at-risk communities vaccinated as possible.
The HHS hasallocated 1.1 million dosesto states and jurisdictions and has promised to accelerate the delivery of the doses.
Read on to learn if you’re eligible for the mpox vaccines and how you can schedule an appointment.
What Is the Mpox Vaccine?The preferred mpox vaccine is calledJynneos, a two-dose vaccine approved for the prevention of smallpox or mpox in high-risk adults.
What Is the Mpox Vaccine?
The preferred mpox vaccine is calledJynneos, a two-dose vaccine approved for the prevention of smallpox or mpox in high-risk adults.
Does One Dose of the Mpox Vaccine Offer Enough Protection?
Who Is Eligible for the Mpox Vaccine?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Jynneos vaccine is recommended for the following individuals who are 18 and older:
The CDC also recommends getting vaccinated within four daysfrom the date of your exposure for the best chance to prevent mpox. If you get vaccinated between four and 14 days after exposure, vaccination may not prevent the disease but it would reduce the symptoms.
Some states and localities are offering the Jynneos vaccine for residents who are at higher risk of the disease.New York City was the first to expand its vaccination eligibilityto include “all gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (cisgender or transgender) ages 18 and older who have had multiple or anonymous sex partners in the last 14 days.”
If you’re unsure about your eligibility, check your state or local health department’s website for more guidance.
For now, the CDC is recommending the vaccine for laboratory personnel working with orthopoxviruses (which include smallpox and mpox), either for research or for diagnostic testing for orthopoxviruses, and for healthcare workers who are part of public health response teams. Other clinicians are not currently being advised to get the vaccine.
Where Can You Get Vaccinated?
Grant Roth, MPH, a public health advocate, created aGoogle documentwith a crowdsourced list of where mpox vaccinations are provided in various cities and counties. While the vaccine supply remains scarce, this list might help you locate a clinic or a vaccine site in your area.
After getting your first shot, you may experience mild side effects, such as injection-site redness and swelling, fatigue, headache, and muscle aches.
Do You Need a Second Shot?
According to the CDC, you will achieve maximum protection against mpox at about 14 days after the second dose of Jynneos.
Ideally, you should receive the second shot 28 days after your first one, per the CDC’s recommendation.However, you may not be able to sign up for your second shot immediately, depending on your state’s supply.
Still, experts say you will have immunity fromone dose of the Jynneos vaccine. The idea of a booster shot is that it will help rev up your immune response, whether it’s given one month after the first shot or later.
According to the CDC, vaccine administrators may stretch the interval of the two doses to 35 days if needed. If delays persist, the shot should simply be administered as soon as possible.
What Can You Do If You Can’t Get an Appointment?
If you don’t have access to a vaccine appointment right away, remember that mpox cases are still proportionally low in the United States.The White House estimates that 1.6 million people—less than 1% of the U.S. population—are at high risk for mpox.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is testing whether administering a one-fifth dose of Jynneos could help stretch the supply,STATreported.
What This Means For YouIf you have been exposed to mpox in the last 14 days, you are likely eligible to receive the mpox vaccine in your area. Check with your local health department for updates on eligibility and scheduling.
What This Means For You
If you have been exposed to mpox in the last 14 days, you are likely eligible to receive the mpox vaccine in your area. Check with your local health department for updates on eligibility and scheduling.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Considerations for monkeypox vaccination.Rao AK, Petersen BW, Whitehill F, et al.Use of JYNNEOS (smallpox and monkeypox vaccine, live, nonreplicating) for preexposure vaccination of persons at risk for occupational exposure to orthopoxviruses: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — United States, 2022.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022;71(22):734-742. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7122e1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Monkeypox: 2022 U.S. map & case count.The White House.Fact sheet: Biden-Harris administration’s monkeypox outbreak response.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Considerations for monkeypox vaccination.Rao AK, Petersen BW, Whitehill F, et al.Use of JYNNEOS (smallpox and monkeypox vaccine, live, nonreplicating) for preexposure vaccination of persons at risk for occupational exposure to orthopoxviruses: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — United States, 2022.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022;71(22):734-742. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7122e1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Monkeypox: 2022 U.S. map & case count.The White House.Fact sheet: Biden-Harris administration’s monkeypox outbreak response.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Considerations for monkeypox vaccination.Rao AK, Petersen BW, Whitehill F, et al.Use of JYNNEOS (smallpox and monkeypox vaccine, live, nonreplicating) for preexposure vaccination of persons at risk for occupational exposure to orthopoxviruses: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — United States, 2022.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022;71(22):734-742. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7122e1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Monkeypox: 2022 U.S. map & case count.The White House.Fact sheet: Biden-Harris administration’s monkeypox outbreak response.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Considerations for monkeypox vaccination.
Rao AK, Petersen BW, Whitehill F, et al.Use of JYNNEOS (smallpox and monkeypox vaccine, live, nonreplicating) for preexposure vaccination of persons at risk for occupational exposure to orthopoxviruses: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — United States, 2022.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022;71(22):734-742. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7122e1
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Monkeypox: 2022 U.S. map & case count.
The White House.Fact sheet: Biden-Harris administration’s monkeypox outbreak response.
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