Chances are good that there is no need to rush out and get the monkeypox vaccine. Assuming you do, I’ll tell you what you need to know in a minute, but I’d be remiss if I said this vaccine is something everyone needs right this second.
The current situation is that there are two monkeypox vaccines available in the US. One of the two, JYNNEOS, is a relatively normal series of two injections given 28 days apart, but there is currently not enough of this to use. The more abundantly of the two, ACAM2000, is a rather unpleasant medical procedure not far removed from the old smallpox vaccine and considered too dangerous to administer to people with HIV or heart disease.
So, in short, unlike the COVID-19 vaccine, which is for almost everyone, this is something you should only get if you’re in a high-risk group, especially while JYNNEOS doses are in short supply. And since they were meant to be smallpox vaccines, much more data will be needed to confirm that these vaccines are indeed effective against monkeypox, to what extent, and whether one is significantly better than the other.
Who needs the monkeypox vaccine?
Tweet may have been deleted (opens in new tab)
That preamble aside, you really should get vaccinated if there’s a chance you’ve been exposed to monkeypox. In public health, this concept is called “post-exposure prophylaxis” or PEP. The vaccine is believed to be effective four days after exposureand can be administered up to 14 days after exposure as it is also is thought to be helpful in relieving symptoms even if you are infected. Men who have sex with men are the group most targeted by monkeypox awareness messages, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), you don’t need to be in that group to get vaccinated. You are eligible if:
-
you have been in close contact with someone known to have monkeypox, or
-
you have had sex in the last two weeks with someone who has subsequently been diagnosed with monkeypox
So, to a large extent, the people who get the vaccine right now are part of the so-calledring vaccination” campaigns in which the small amount of JYNNEOS vaccine available is given by invitation only to those identified as the most likely beneficiaries in the immediate future. This is a “don’t call us, we’ll call you” type of deal.
But in theory you can also get vaccinated if you’ve had sex with a lot of people in the last two weeks in an area where monkeypox is known to spread, says the CDC. I say “theoretically” because that doesn’t necessarily mean you can just go to your primary care doctor, tell him you’ve had sex with a lot of people, and get a referral for the vaccine. Which brings me to…
How do I get the monkeypox vaccine?
It really depends on where you are, and honestly, it might not even be practical right now, regardless, unless you happen to be in a vaccination campaign.
In New York, for example, there is an online portal where you can make an appointment. in Los Angeles, the online dating portal was, as of this writing, “on hiatus” because it was overcrowded with people trying to make appointments, but walk-in vaccine clinics seem to be popping up more and more. In San Francisco, instead of planning online, you are targeting locations that accept site visits, along with numbers you can call to book appointments. in Chicago, 100 doses are provided every Mondayin one location, on a first-come, first-served basis.
You get the idea. If you’re worried about infection, check online with your local health department, call and keep trying.
Will it get easier to get vaccinated against monkeypox?
Implementation of JYNNEOS in particular has been patchy and slow. Although most US states There have already been documented cases of monkeypox during this outbreak, not all health departments facilitate or even make vaccinations possible. That’s because, for now, it seems that hitting everyone would mean widespread use of ACAM2000, and that’s exactly what the authorities seem to be avoiding. As of early July, the federal government said only 800 people has received ACAM2000.
About that ACAM2000 vaccine: it might be disappointing to know that this vaccine is out there and mostly not available, but I should probably remind you that it’s, well, nasty. According to the CDC, applying ACAM2000 means 30 jabs into the skin of your shoulder, done quickly I hit you 15 times with a forked steel rod until bleeding. Successful vaccination ACAM2000 produces a lesion that is covered during the healing process. During your recovery from your 30 needle sticks, you are infected with“live, infectious vaccinia virus that can be transmitted from the recipient of the vaccine to unvaccinated persons who have close contact with the site of inoculation.” Then, you will have a scar.
So personally I think of this vaccine as a last resort. Research could eventually prove that this is the best vaccine and that the virus is so scary that we should all be signing up for ACAM2000. Meanwhile, measurements of the human immune response and animal studies show that JYNNEOS is effective against monkeypox.
According to the White House, there are expected to be a total of 750,000 doses of JYNNEOS that can be taken in the summer and another 500,000 that will be released in the fall. On July 1, the US Department of Health and Human Services ordered 2,500,000 dosesintended to be operational by early 2023. And note that JYNNEOS is a two-dose vaccine.
So if you’re a man who has sex with men in a big city in the US, getting vaccinated is a good idea. But unless you’ve been in danger, it’s not an emergency. Get tested regularly and try the available portals and phone numbers until it’s your turn to receive, preferably, an injection of JYNNEOS.
Add Comment