Monkeypox vaccination appointments available for eligible DC residents

How worried should we be about monkeypox?

D.C. health officials have reported the first case of potential monkeypox in the District. So, how concerned should residents be if a case is reported where they live? Infectious disease expert Dr. Amesh Adalja joins Good Day DC to explain.

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - Monkeypox vaccination appointments are now available to eligible D.C. residents, according to DC Health.

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A total of 300 appointments will be available for Tuesday and Thursday. Monkeypox vaccinations are free, based on availability, and will occur on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

To be considered eligible for the monkeypox vaccination, persons must be a District resident, 18 years of age or older and:

- Gay, bisexual, and other men 18 and older who have sex with men and have had multiple (more than one) sexual partners or any anonymous sexual partners in the last 14 days; or

- Transgender women or nonbinary persons assigned male at birth who have sex with men; or

- Sex workers (of any sexual orientation/gender); or

- Staff (of any sexual orientation/gender) at establishments where sexual activity occurs (e.g., bathhouses, saunas, sex clubs)

Monkeypox vaccinations will be available on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 1 to 8 p.m. at 7530 Georgia Ave NW.

If the District receives additional doses of vaccine from the federal government, the vaccination appointment site will reopen on Wednesday for Sunday appointments.

Monkeypox arrives in the DMV

Monkeypox has made its way to the DMV. Virginia has reported its first case of the disease. FOX 5 chats with Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician, who says it's a virus doctors know how to control.

Monkeypox is a rare, but potentially serious viral illness that can be transmitted from person to person through direct contact with bodily fluids or monkeypox lesions/rash.

Monkeypox can spread during intimate contact between people, including respiratory secretions during prolonged face-to-face contact, during intimate physical contact like sex, kissing or hugging, as well as touching fabrics and objects during sex that were used by a person with monkeypox, such as bedding and towels.

The initial symptoms of monkeypox often include flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes, followed by a rash and lesions on the skin.

Although the majority of cases do not require hospitalization, monkeypox is dangerous, highly contagious, and uncomfortable. While monkeypox can spread to anyone, the majority of current cases in the District are in men who have sex with men.

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