Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty
Asmonkeypoxcases rise across the country, U.S. health officials plan to expand access to vaccinations against the virus.
On Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Servicesannouncedvaccinations will now be available to anyone with presumed exposure to the virus, in addition to individuals with known exposure who were already being offered immunizations.
“Within days of the first confirmed case of monkeypox in the United States, we quickly began deploying vaccines and treatment to help protect the American public and limit the spread of the virus,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.
Monkeypox virions.Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regner/CDC via AP
He continued, “While monkeypox poses minimal risk to most Americans, we are doing everything we can to offer vaccines to those at high risk of contracting the virus. This new strategy allows us to maximize the supply of currently available vaccines and reach those who are most vulnerable to the current outbreak.”
Vaccines will now be available to individuals “who had close physical contact with someone diagnosed with monkeypox, those who know their sexual partner was diagnosed with monkeypox, and men who have sex with men who have recently had multiple sex partners in a venue where there was known to be monkeypox or in an area where monkeypox is spreading,” according to the department’s press release.
“We have vaccines and treatments to respond to the current monkeypox outbreak thanks to years of sustained investment and planning,” HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn O’Connell said in a statement.
She continued, “Our goal right now is to ensure that the limited supply of JYNNEOS vaccine is deployed to those who can benefit from it most immediately, as we continue to secure additional vaccine doses.”
In addition to the Jynneos vaccine, ACAM2000 — a smallpox vaccine — is also being made available but it is known to have “significant side effects is not recommended for everyone,” according the department.
“Many of us are concerned that the window is closing for us to be able to eliminate monkeypox,” Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease expert and editor at large for public health at Kaiser Health News, toldTheNew York Times.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.
“If we don’t start vaccinating more quickly and broadly, we’re going to have a very difficult time containing this,” she added.
As of Wednesday, there are currently 305 confirmed monkeypox cases in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s2022 Monkeypox Outbreak Global Map.
source: people.com
