What You Need to Know
- Monkeypox (also known as hMPXV or MPXV) is a disease caused by the monkeypox virus.
- It can cause a rash that can look like pimples or blisters and can also cause a flu-like sickness (fever, cough, headache, body aches, chills, feeling very tired, etc.).
- Monkeypox can spread to any person – most likely through close, skin-to-skin contact with someone with monkeypox, or through saliva or other body fluids.
- It can also spread through touching things or surfaces, especially clothes, bedding, and towels, that have been used by someone with monkeypox and not disinfected.
- Symptoms start within 3 weeks of being exposed to the virus.
- If you start having flu-like symptoms, a rash will usually come 1-4 days later.
- The rash can be on the face, inside the mouth, chest, hands, feet, genitals, or anus and starts as small, reddish spots. It then develops into blisters that fill with pus (liquid from infected tissue).
- Monkeypox can spread from the time a rash starts to the time a rash has fully healed with a new layer of skin.
- This usually takes two to four weeks
ANYONE can get monkeypox, but there are some groups at higher risk:
- Men who have sex with men
- People with weaker immune systems
- Babies and children
- People who are pregnant or breastfeeding
If you think you are sick, at high risk, or want to prevent getting monkeypox:
- Be aware of how close in skin-to-skin contact you are with others (hugs, kisses, etc.), especially with your partner
- Wash hands with soap and water and use hand sanitizer
- Clean and disinfect surfaces at home and work
- Avoid or be mindful of contact with pets (since they can spread it as well)
- Isolate yourself if you think you have symptoms and tell your healthcare provider
There is a FDA-approved vaccine for monkeypox (JYNNEOS), but it is not recommended for the general public yet.
- It is 2 doses that are given 4 weeks apart, and you are considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after the second dose. You can also get vaccinated within 4 days of exposure to monkeypox to prevent the disease or how severe it will be.
- The only people who can get the vaccine right now:
- People who have had close contact to someone that tested positive for monkeypox within the past 14 days
- People who are at higher risk of getting monkeypox (see higher risk groups above)
- If you believe you have been exposed, contact your health care provider and then your local health department to see if you’re eligible for the vaccine.
Vaccination Clinics
Hyacinth AIDS Foundation/ Project Living Out Loud! (Jersey City)
Telephone: 201-706-3480
The Prevention Resource Network, a program of the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey (Asbury Park)
Telephone: 732-502-5100
North Jersey Community Research Initiative (Newark)
Telephone: 973-483-3444
Cooper University Hospital, 300 Broadway (Camden)
At the intersection of Broadway and MLK Boulevard. Entrance off of MLK Boulevard. Follow the signs; do not drive into the parking garage.
Appointment only: Call 856-968-7100, Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., or go online at any time through MyCooper by clicking here.
Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, Annex 2 (white tent structure), 230 East Ridgewood Ave. (Paramus)
Appointment only online by clicking here
Stay up to date with all monkeypox information and the community partners that offer the vaccine
Please visit nj.gov/health/cd/topics/monkeypox.shtml
Sources
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Originally Appeared Here