Limited Monkeypox vaccine available

The Fairfax County Health Department has a small amount of Monkeypox vaccine available for people who have been exposed to someone with a confirmed case of the virus.

The health department urges anyone who thinks they might have Monkeypox or have been exposed to someone with the virus to call 703-246-2433 or send an e-mail to [email protected] to arrange for a screening.

The Virginia Department of Health reports 80 cases in Virginia, including 20 in Fairfax County. All but one of those infected people are male.

There have been 4,638 Monkeypox cases in the United States, according to the CDC, and 20,638 worldwide in 71 countries.

Most, but not all Monkeypox cases have been among gay or bisexual men. Men who have multiple male sex partners are at the greatest risk.

Monkeypox is most commonly spread through intimate contact with a person who has a Monkeypox rash. It can also spread through contact with clothing, bedding, or towels used by someone with the virus, through respiratory droplets or oral fluids from an infected person, or from being bitten or scratched by an infected animal.

Initial symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion. Within one to three days after a fever, the patient develops a rash. People infected can stay contagious for up to several weeks.