North Charlotte Today

A state epidemiologist calls the availability of a limited number of monkeypox vaccines a step in the right direction but says it’s only a start.

“This is a good first step, but more vaccine is needed,” Dr. Zack Moore, a state epidemiologist in North Carolina said in a WCNC report after the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) announced Friday that some vaccines were being made available. “We are working with local health departments and other partners to ensure equitable access to those at risk as more doses become available over the coming months.” 

The NCDHHS said it has 444 doses available. Those came as an allocation by the federal government. The vaccine, if given within two weeks exposure to monkeypox, can prevent illness or lead to less severe symptoms. Buncombe, Durham, Forsyth, Mecklenburg, New Hanover, Pitt and Wake health departments are the first to receive the vaccinations, the news report said.

Vaccinations are being offered only to those with known or suspected exposure to monkeypox. Those people would include people who have been in close contact with anyone who has been diagnosed with monkeypox, as well as men who have sex with men; transgender people; those who have had multiple sex partners or anonymous sex partners in the last two weeks in an area where either monkeypox is present or is spreading. 

People who meet these criteria should call their local health department to make an appointment to get the vaccine. The vaccines are currently free for the patients, the report said.