PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio and 1010 WINS) — Health officials are now recommending monkeypox vaccines to at-risk people, including people who have close contact with someone diagnosed with monkeypox, and men who have had sex with several male partners, in areas where it's spreading.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that there are more than 300 confirmed monkeypox cases in the United States, including at least four in Pennsylvania and two in New Jersey.
The CDC's mitigation strategy is to ramp up testing and vaccine efforts, prioritize vaccines for areas that have higher rates of confirmed cases and large numbers of people at risk, and issue guidance to health officials across the country to help local responses.
This significantly expands the vaccination effort, but the Department of Health and Human Services says there is very limited immediate supply of the newer vaccine, JYNNEOS — 56,000 doses will be available immediately, with another 240,000 to be shipped out throughout the summer.
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Philadelphia’s Department of Public Health tells KYW Newsradio that they have requested vaccine doses, but they are unsure how many shots they will get and when they will arrive — but they expect it to be soon.
Health officials remind everyone: Monkeypox does not pose a huge risk to most people. Monkeypox is much less transmissible than other viruses, like COVID-19, but it is spreading across the world.
Global statistics indicate that gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men make up a high number of monkeypox cases, according to the CDC. It is now raising awareness of the current situation with the public through its website and social media.
The virus is usually spread through close contact. Common symptoms are a fever and rash. The CDC says getting the vaccine after exposure can prevent illness or reduce symptoms.
The CDC’s command center will step up in monitoring and coordinating the emergency response to monkeypox and mobilize additional CDC personnel and resources to meet the outbreak’s evolving challenges.
“It is home to more than 300 CDC staff working in collaboration with local, national, and international response partners on public health challenges,” the CDC said. "CDC’s activation of the EOC allows the agency to further increase operational support for the response to meet the outbreak’s evolving challenges."
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The CDC has been encouraging health care providers to consider testing for all rashes with clinical suspicion of monkeypox and suggests that anyone who has risk factors for monkeypox, and a new rash should seek care and testing. It has also increased its testing capacity by shipping out orthopoxvirus tests to commercial laboratory companies.
“This development will facilitate increased testing, leverage established relationships between clinics, hospitals, and commercial laboratories, and support our ability to better understand the scope of the current monkeypox outbreak,” the press release stated.