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Montgomery County offering monkeypox vaccine to at-risk residents

Most cases of monkeypox do not require hospitalization, but can be highly contagious in individuals with symptoms, according to health officials.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — Montgomery County will be offering a limited number of monkeypox vaccines to residents, according to a Wednesday announcement from the health department.

The County's Department of Health and Human Services will offer vaccinations to eligible residents who are at high risk of contacting the virus.

Those high risk residents have been identified as people who have been in close contact with current monkeypox cases, public health staff who will be working to identify residents who could be at risk, and people who may have had sexual contact with someone who was diagnosed with the virus or lives in an area where there are known cases within the past 14 days.

The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) has initially been issued 682 doses of the vaccine from the government. Of those doses, 200 has been sent to each local health department in the three highest-risk jurisdictions: Baltimore City, Montgomery, and Prince George’s counties. 

MDH has retained 82 doses to provide for other jurisdictions as needed.

According to the CDC, Maryland accounts for 55 positive cases as of July 20.

On Monday the director of D.C. Health said that Washington, D.C. had the highest rate of monkeypox per capita in the U.S.

Monkeypox is a rare disease and the risk of contracting the virus in the U.S. is believed to be low, according to health officials. Ways the virus can be spread includes person to person contact of an infectious rash and intimate physical contact.

As vaccine supply increases, additional residents who are at-risk will be identified and offered vaccination.

Residents who believe that they have been exposed to monkeypox should contact their health care provider or a community provider such as an urgent care center. Those without a health care provider can also call the Disease Control Program at 240-777-1755. People who believe they are in a high-risk group and meet the above criteria for vaccination can contact their health care provider or the Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) clinic at 240-777-1751.

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