This illustration photo was taken in Krakow, Poland on May 26, 2022. /Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Image
BY KTAR.COM
Maricopa County Department of Public Health announced it will prioritize the limited amount of monkeypox vaccines to those known to have or been exposed to monkeypox with four new cases identified this week, according to a press release.
With a limited vaccine supply, the department will administer the vaccine to only those identified as contacts of monkeypox cases.
The existing supply of the vaccine can be used for post-and-pre-exposure protection for a limited number of public health workers who are working in the outbreak, the release said.
“At this time, we have limited quantities of vaccine, which we are prioritizing for people who we know or suspect have been exposed and are within the post-exposure timeframe where that protection can still be effective,” executive director of MCDPH Marcy Flanagan said in the release.
“We are also working with our state and federal partners to secure additional doses so that we are prepared to move into a phase of providing pre-exposure protection to those who are at higher risk,” Flanagan said. “As soon as we have enough vaccine, we will be holding clinics for those at highest risk of being exposed.”
