BY: Najla Alexander
According to the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) officials, three additional monkeypox (hMPXV) vaccination sites with community partners have opened as vaccinations continue under expanded eligibility, New Jersey DOH officials reported today.
NJDOH said they received monkeypox (hMPXV) vaccines from the federal government and are provided at no cost to individuals.
The new sites, which join other community partner vaccination sites throughout the state offering vaccines primarily through appointments, include:
Cumberland County Health Department: Millville and Bridgeton, 856-327-7602, Ext. 7120
Vineland Health Department: call for an appointment/location, 856-794-4000, Ext. 4806
Alliance Community Health Care: Jersey City, call to schedule an appointment, 201-451-6300
While reported monkeypox (hMPXV) cases have decreased since the peak in the summer of 2022 and risk has remained low for the general public, it is essential for individuals who may be most at risk to get vaccinated in advance of the exposure, officials reported.
Under Expanded Vaccination, individuals who do not have a known exposure but have been in or maybe in situations with a higher risk of exposure are eligible to receive the vaccine. Some examples include:
Officials say gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, transgender or nonbinary people who in the past six months have had:
-A new diagnosis of one or more nationally reportable sexually transmitted diseases (i.e., acute HIV, chancroid, chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis
-More than one sex partner
-People who have had any of the following in the past six months: sex at a commercial sex venue, sex in association with a significant public event in a geographic area where monkeypox (hMPXV) transmission is occurring, and/or sexual partners of people with the above risks
-People who anticipate experiencing the above risks
-People in certain occupational exposure risk groups, such as laboratory personnel working with orthopoxviruses, clinical laboratory personnel performing diagnostic testing for orthopoxviruses, and orthopoxvirus and healthcare worker response teams designated by appropriate public health and antiterror authorities.
For individuals with known exposure or exposure to a person with monkeypox (hMPXV) within the past 14 days, the two-dose antiviral regimen called tecovirimat (TPOXX) for preventing monkeypox (hMPXV) continues to be available through local health departments.
People with symptoms of monkeypox (hMPXV) should contact a healthcare provider to be evaluated for possible testing.
Specimens must be collected by a healthcare provider and sent to a laboratory: https://www.nj.gov/health/monkeypox/about/testing/.
More information on monkeypox (hMPXV) data, testing, symptoms, and vaccines are available at nj.gov/health/monkeypox.