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Boston health officials are urging eligible residents to get vaccinated against monkeypox
“I’m optimistic that the new approach to monkeypox vaccination will allow us to vaccinate more people.”
Health officials in Boston issued a renewed call this week for eligible city residents to get vaccinated against monkeypox and help slow the spread of the virus.
MONKEYPOX:
The Boston Public Health Commission on Wednesday reminded Bostonians that in a move to increase the number of available vaccine doses, the JYNNEOS vaccine is being administered at a lower dose into the skin, as opposed to into muscle. The change follows updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.
The vaccine regimen still requires two doses.
The 14 providers in Massachusetts offering the monkeypox vaccine began administering the shots intradermally on Aug. 18.
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“I’m optimistic that the new approach to monkeypox vaccination will allow us to vaccinate more people, help ensure vaccines are distributed equitably, and ultimately support our efforts to control this outbreak,” Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Boston’s public health commissioner and executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission, said in a statement. “Getting vaccinated against monkeypox is an effective way to prevent disease.”
According to state health officials, the vaccine is available to individuals who live or work in Massachusetts and meet the CDC’s eligibility criteria, which prioritizes those who are at risk of an exposure to monkeypox.
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“While many of the identified cases are within networks of self-identified gay and bisexual men, other men who have sex with men, and transgender individuals who have sex with men, people of any sexual orientation or gender identity can become infected and spread monkeypox,” the state Department of Public Health said.
The Boston Public Health Commission said as it responds to the monkeypox outbreak, supporting “BIPOC LGBTQ+ residents by improving access to care and pushing back against anti-LGBTQ+ stigma will remain a top priority.”
According to health officials, monkeypox can be spread through direct skin-to-skin contact with rash lesions (such as through sexual/intimate contact or kissing a person with the illness), sharing linens or unwashed clothing, and respiratory secretions through face-to-face interactions (typically when someone is caring for someone with monkeypox).
It is not spread through casual conversations, simply walking by someone with monkeypox, or touching items like doorknobs.
Early symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, sore throat, and swollen lymph nodes, according to health officials, but a rash may also be the first symptom.
“Rash lesions start flat, become raised, fill with clear fluid (vesicles), and then become pustules (filled with pus). A person with monkeypox can have many lesions or only a few,” the department of public health said.
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Last week, the state’s Department of Public Health announced 41 new cases of monkeypox, bringing the total number of cases diagnosed in Massachusetts to 243 since May 18. The state releases new monkeypox case information weekly, each Thursday.
“I strongly encourage all residents who are eligible for vaccination to schedule an appointment as soon as possible,” Ojikutu said.
In Boston, the JYNNEOS vaccine is available by appointment only at five locations, according to the city:
- Boston Medical Center: Register for an appointment directly at www.bmc.org/monkeypox. Appointments can be made by calling 617-414-2803 Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
- Codman Square Health Center: Please register for an appointment directly at https://www.codman.org/medical-service/x-clinic/. Appointments can also be made by calling 617-822-8271 Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. This site also offers vaccine appointments on Saturday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
- Fenway Health: Appointments can be made by calling 617-927-6060 Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
- East Boston Neighborhood Health Center: Appointments can be made by calling 617-568-4500 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. This site also offers vaccine appointments on Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
- Massachusetts General Hospital Sexual Health Clinic: Appointments can be made by calling 617-724-7000 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
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