Feds Expand Monkeypox Vaccine Access: Will Georgia Get Doses?

GEORGIA — With more monkeypox cases being reported across the country and globally, orthopoxvirus vaccines are being made more readily available to those most at risk in the U.S., according to federal public health officials.

Health officials said the vaccine won’t be immediately available to everyone. The Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday it is prioritizing areas with the highest numbers of cases and those most at-risk for the illness.

Georgia Department of Public Health spokesperson Nancy Nydam told Patch Thursday that DPH has been notified that the state's first allocation of monkeypox vaccine is 1,284.

"We are still working out the details of how and where it will be disseminated but will have more definitive plans in the next few days for administering vaccine," she said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend "widespread vaccination against monkeypox," Nydam said.

"Vaccination may be recommended for people who are close personal contacts of people with monkeypox, individuals who may have been exposed to monkeypox, or people who have increased risk of being exposed to the virus such as lab workers. Individuals are urged to speak with their healthcare provider if they are in one of those groups."

There are 4,769 known cases of monkeypox globally, including 351 cases in the United States, as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the CDC.

Georgia is among those that have confirmed cases of monkeypox this year, with eight reported cases.

California has the most confirmed monkeypox cases with 80, followed by New York with 72 and Illinois with 46.

Monkeypox, which is usually contained to central and west Africa, is a rare but potentially serious viral illness that typically spreads by skin-to-skin contact. Infections can cause flu-like symptoms as well as swelling of the lymph nodes and a rash. The rash usually contains bumps that initially fill with fluid before scabbing over, according to the CDC.

The symptoms could be confused with those of chicken pox or a sexually transmitted disease, such as syphilis or herpes. Infections can last up to four weeks.

Monkeypox and smallpox are both orthopoxviruses, and smallpox vaccines are effective against preventing the disease.

In areas with highest transmission, roughly 300,000 vaccines will be available in the coming weeks and another 750,000 doses will be available over the summer, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. The vaccine that will be provided is the JYNNEOS vaccine, which is approved by the FDA to prevent smallpox, monkeypox and other diseases caused by orthopoxviruses.

Officials plan on allocating doses based on a four-tier system — prioritizing jurisdictions with the highest case rates and within each tier, vaccines will be distributed based on the number of people at risk for monkeypox who also have pre-existing conditions like HIV. Those who’ve had confirmed or a presumed exposure to monkeypox will also be prioritized.

“We are focused on making sure the public and health care providers are aware of the risks posed by monkeypox and that there are steps they can take –through seeking testing, vaccines and treatments – to stay healthy and stop the spread,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, said in a statement.

An older smallpox vaccine is in greater supply and health jurisdictions have the option of requesting shipments. However, the department warns that the vaccine has significant side effects and is not recommended for everyone.