The Grand Traverse County Health Department (GTCHD) has received a limited supply of monkeypox virus (MPV) vaccines and has begun to administer the vaccine at private clinics via appointment for eligible individuals, according to a department release. As the risk to the general public is considered low, eligibility is being assessed on a case-by-case basis.

While MPV can affect anyone, vaccination is limited to those that are at the highest risk for MPV infection. That includes: 
> Anyone with a close/household contact with someone who has been exposed to MPV or is at higher risk due to their activities.
> Any sex partner, household contact, or other with very close contact to a person with MPV in the past 14 days.
> Anyone who plans to, or has within the last 14 days, had multiple anonymous sex partners.
> Anyone who plans to, or has within the last 14 days, had close contact with others at a high-risk event or high-risk venue. A high-risk event or venue might be one where there is minimal clothing and direct, personal, often skin-to-skin contact or where intimate, often anonymous sexual contact occurs with multiple partners.
> Anyone taking HIV PreP or living with HIV.
> Anyone who trades sex for money or drugs.
> Any man who has sex with men and has had a sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the last year.
> Anyone who has a partner that engages in higher-risk sexual activities, like having multiple anonymous sex partners.
> Laboratory workers who perform testing for MPV (not collecting or packaging specimens).
> Anyone who lives or works in a crowded setting that could be at risk for a MPV outbreak, based on the local MPV activity.

Guidance and eligibility are subject to change based on vaccine supply and changes in the risks of infection. Contact GTCHD if you have recently been exposed to MPV or are at high risk for exposure. "Although we do not have any cases of monkeypox in northern Michigan currently, we do want to
provide protection for those at highest risk of contracting MPV and proactively prevent a possible
outbreak in our region," says GTCHD Health Officer Wendy Hirschenberger.

MPV is a viral illness. It primarily spreads through close or intimate contact with those that are infected through contact with rashes, scabs, bodily fluids, or extended face-to-face contact. Anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has MPV can get the illness regardless of age, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Symptoms of MPV infection typically begins with flu-like symptoms that progresses into rashes on the face and/or body. Additional symptoms include:
> Fever
> Chills
> Headache
> Back and muscle aches
> Swollen lymph nodes
> Feeling tired
> Sore throat, cough, and/or nasal congestion
> Rashes that look like pimples or blisters
> Can appear on the face, in the mouth, or on the body such as hands, feet, chest, and/or
genitals

If you believe you are eligible and would like to schedule an MPV vaccine, call 231-995-6801.