Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Monkeypox vaccinations to start Monday in Las Vegas

Monkeypox

Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regner/CDC via AP

This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virions, left, and spherical immature virions, right, obtained from a sample of human skin associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak.

The Southern Nevada Health District on Monday will start administering a limited supply of the monkeypox vaccine, the agency said.

Vaccine appointments are available by using the SNHD online appointment system or by calling 702-759-0850, the district said. Appointment capacity will reflect the district’s vaccine inventory, though officials did not specify how many does are available.

Additional doses have been requested, and appointments will be expanded when they are received, the district said.

The vaccine is available to people who have had close physical contact with somebody with a known or suspected case of monkeypox or who may have been exposed through sexual contact in the last two weeks, officials said.

People who already have had monkeypox are not eligible for the vaccine, and the vaccine is only licensed for use in people 18 or older, according to the district. Vaccine patients will be assessed prior to receiving the shot to ensure they meet eligibility requirements.

The disease spreads through direct contact with an infectious rash, scabs or bodily fluids, as well as prolonged face-to-face contact, or during intimate physical contact such as kissing, cuddling or sex, the district said.

Monkeypox has also been known to spread by touching objects or fabrics that have been previously touched the rash of somebody with monkeypox, the district said.

Monkeypox can spread once symptoms start until the time the rash fully heals and a fresh layer of skin has formed, which can take several weeks, the district said.

Anyone with an unknown rash or lesion should contact their doctor for an assessment and avoid sex and other intimate contact during that time, the district said.

Once identified as a probable case, health officials begin a contact tracing process to help stop the spread of the virus, officials said.

Clark County had at least seven probable or confirmed monkeypox cases as of Wednesday, the Health District said.

Further information is available at the SNHD website, and additional information can be found on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.