Do you need the monkeypox vaccine? What to know as thousands more doses coming to U.S.
The outbreak of monkeypox — a rash-causing virus similar to smallpox — has spread to nearly the entire U.S., with the exception of nine states, as of Wednesday, July 13, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There are 1,053 confirmed cases in the country to date, the agency reports, and two vaccines are approved in the country for the virus. Across the globe, more than 11,000 cases in total have been reported.
If you are wondering whether you need the monkeypox vaccine, here is what you need to know as hundreds of thousands more doses are coming to the U.S. soon, according to officials.
Nearly 2 million doses of one approved monkeypox vaccine, Jynneos, is expected to be available in the country later this year, the Department of Health and Human Services announced on July 7.
This vaccine is in limited supply and preferred for more people because the alternative, ACAM2000, which the U.S. has an “ample” supply of, should not be used in those with certain health conditions, according to the CDC. This vaccine has already been historically used against smallpox.
About 800,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine are expected to arrive in the U.S. from the supplier in Denmark by the end of July, The Washington Post reported.
What is monkeypox?
Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease, meaning it is spread from animals to humans, and has been identified in certain monkey species, tree squirrels, dormice and more, according to the World Health Organization.
“It is much less transmissible than fast-spreading respiratory diseases like COVID-19,” The White House said in a recent fact sheet.
Monkeypox is believed to be rare and “rarely fatal” and comes from the same virus family that smallpox emerged from, according to the CDC.
In 1970, the first human monkeypox case was recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa, the WHO said in a fact sheet.
Cases had been reported only on the continent until 2003 when one was recorded in the U.S., according to the agency. This outbreak resulted in more than 70 cases nationwide at the time.
The latest outbreak linked to the ongoing monkeypox spread in the U.S. began in May after the virus was reported in “several countries that do not normally report monkeypox, including Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom,” a CDC statement said.
The first U.S. case linked to the current outbreak was recorded May 18 in Massachusetts, according to the CDC.
How does it spread between people?
Generally, monkeypox spreads after direct contact with bodily fluids or skin lesions from an infected animal or person, according to the WHO.
The CDC reports it can also spread from person to person through:
Contact with infected rashes and scabs.
Respiratory secretions, including during close physical contact or touch such as kissing.
Touching areas that have come into contact with an infected person’s rashes or fluids.
Additionally, an infected pregnant person can spread monkeypox to the fetus, according to the agency.
An adviser for the WHO said the current outbreak may have originated from sex occurring at raves in Europe in an interview with the Associated Press.
“We know monkeypox can spread when there is close contact with the lesions of someone who is infected, and it looks like sexual contact has now amplified that transmission,” Dr. David Heymann told the outlet.
The WHO said in a May 25 news release that a number of monkeypox cases have been identified within gay and bisexual communities and among men who have sex with men. However, “it is important to note that the risk of monkeypox is not limited to men who have sex with men,” the agency said.
Symptoms of monkeypox
Symptoms of a monkeypox infection usually last roughly two to four weeks, according to the CDC.
They include:
Rash
Fever
Headache
Muscle aches
Swollen lymph nodes
Chills
Fatigue
A monkeypox rash appears differently throughout its stages and can look like pimples or blisters, the CDC notes. The rash may be found on the face, mouth and throughout the body.
Do you need a monkeypox vaccine?
In the U.S., more than 132,000 Jynneos monkeypox vaccine doses have been distributed as of July 12, according to HHS.
This comes after 2.5 million additional doses were ordered by the U.S. on July 1, the agency said. They will get added to the government’s current stockpile — resulting in more than 4 million doses.
“This order…will help HHS provide jurisdictions with the vaccine they need right now, knowing that more doses are on the way in the coming months,” HHS’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response said in a statement.
Monkeypox vaccine doses can be given to an exposed person or as a preventive measure to someone considered at high risk, according to the CDC.
The CDC said you may want to consider getting the monkeypox vaccine if:
You were in close contact with an infected person.
You engaged in sexual activities with someone who was diagnosed with monkeypox in the past two weeks.
You have had multiple sexual partners in an area where monkeypox is spreading.
“No data are available yet on the effectiveness of these vaccines in the current outbreak,” the CDC noted.
The ACAM2000 vaccine option should be avoided for those with cardiac disease, eye disease being treated with topical steroids, weaker immune systems, skin conditions such as eczema or those who are pregnant, the agency said.
On July 11, 144,000 more doses of the Jynneos vaccine began to get shipped throughout the U.S. from the government’s Strategic National Stockpile, HHS said in its July 7 news release.
In the first half of 2023, more than 2 million additional Jynneos doses are expected to be available in the U.S., according to HHS.
The nine states that monkeypox has not spread to, as of July 13, are Alaska, Alabama, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming, according to the CDC’s map.
To date, Labcorp, Quest Diagnostics and Aegis Sciences have begun monkeypox testing.
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