Montgomery County, Maryland offering Monkeypox vaccine to some residents

DC leads the nation in Monkeypox cases per capita

Our nation's capital is also the country's leader in Monkeypox cases per capita. That's according to D.C. leaders who addressed the outbreak Monday and are urging members of the public to stay alert.

A limited number of Residents of Montgomery County, MD will have access to Monkeypox vaccines according to the county's health department. Officials are focusing on residents who are at the highest risk of contracting the virus.

This includes persons who are identified by public health officials as having had close contact, or persons who may meet the criteria of having had a sexual partner in the past 14 days diagnosed with or living in a jurisdiction with known monkeypox. D.C. ranks as the city with the highest number of cases per capita in the nation (with 126 cases) and Maryland has 48 cases as of July 19th, according to the CDC.

Montgomery County Residents who believe that they have been exposed to monkeypox are asked to contact their doctor or health provider, or a community provider (such as an urgent care center). Persons without a health care provider can contact the county's Disease Control Program at 240-777-1755. Those who are in a high-risk group and meet the criteria for risk can contact their health care provider or the Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) clinic at 240-777-1751.

Monkeypox Infection Rates Rising

Holly talks with Dr. Amesh Adalja, Infectious Disease Expert about the rise in monkeypox cases across the country including challenges with the lack of vaccinations available.

In an interview on Good Day DC last week, Holly Morris talked to Dr. Amesh Adalja, an Infectious Disease Expert about COVID-19 and Monkeypox cases on the rise. A New York Times article notes that many scientists believe the U.S. is losing the fight against the virus and Dr. Adalja noted that due to the missteps the country is "playing catch-up" in regards to prevention and vaccines, but also that it doesn't present a pandemic threat to the general public. He also remarked that we need to get vaccines into people, testing stood-up in places where people need to be tested because of exposures, and that due to its spreading in a social sexual network, "we have to use the tools that we know to put an end to it."