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Mass. expands monkeypox vaccination sites, adding 7 new providers
The new locations join the four existing providers in Boston and Provincetown.
Monkeypox:
Massachusetts is expanding its efforts to vaccinate against monkeypox, adding seven new providers to the list of locations where individuals can get the inoculation.
The Bay State is one of a handful of states receiving the limited supply of the vaccine, known as JYNNEOS, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Massachusetts received an initial allocation of 2,004 doses on July 5, but the state Department of Public Health said more vaccine is expected to become available in the coming weeks.
The state initially set up four vaccination providers in Boston and Provincetown (Fenway Health, Massachusetts General Hospital Sexual Health Clinic, Boston Medical Center Infectious Disease Clinic, and Outer Cape Cod Health Services). But the state said seven new providers in other parts of the state will start offering the vaccine this week: JRI Health (Framingham), Greater Lawrence Family Health Center (Lawrence), Health Innovations (Randolph), Baystate Medical Center Brightwood Health Center (Springfield), Tapestry Health (Springfield), AIDS Project Worcester and University of Massachusetts Medical Center (Worcester), and Seven Hills Behavioral Health (New Bedford).
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The vaccination is only being made available to individuals who work or live in Massachusetts who are at the most risk of exposure to someone with monkeypox. That includes those who have had close contact to someone with the virus and those who have had multiple sexual partners in recent weeks in an area where the infection is known to be spreading.
The public health department said it will expand eligibility if and when more doses are received from the CDC.
The JYNNEOS vaccine requires two shots, 28 days apart for “maximum effectiveness,” and it can be administered before or soon after exposure to the illness. You are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after your second shot.
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Health officials confirmed 18 new cases of monkeypox in the state last week, all in adult men, which brings the total number of cases in Massachusetts to 49.
“Gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men continue to make up a large proportion of the cases identified to date,” the state said. “However, the risk is not limited to the LGBTQ community, and anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has monkeypox is at risk.”
Early symptoms of monkeypox include rash, fever, headache, sore throat, cough, and swollen lymph nodes. The rashes from the illness develop into lesions that start flat but become raised and filled with liquid.
The illness can be spread through direct contact with body fluids, monkeypox sores, or by touching items that have been contaminated, according to the Department of Public Health. Less commonly, it can spread through respiratory droplets after “prolonged face-to-face contact.” But it is not spread in instances such as touching surfaces like doorknobs, casual conversation, or walking by an infected individual.
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