Illinois and Chicago are receiving nearly 4,500 doses of a vaccine that can prevent monkeypox, from the national stockpile, amid a growing number of cases in the state.
The Illinois Department of Health will initially get 1,291 doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine, and the Chicago Department of Public Health will get a separate initial allocation of 3,200 doses, according to the state health department.
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The vaccine is for prevention of smallpox and monkeypox in people ages 18 and older who are considered to be at high risk for infection, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The doses will be available in counties with at least one case of the virus, and will be for people at higher risk of exposure, such as those who have had close physical contact with someone diagnosed with monkeypox. It will also be available to those who may be at risk because of their jobs, such as lab workers and some clinicians.
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Chicago has already been ordering and receiving vaccine, which it’s been delivering to clinics where people who have been exposed to monkeypox are referred. The city has also been working with providers to hold initial vaccine events in places where they can reach high risk people, such as in bathhouses and other community settings, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health.
The city has also been planning vaccination clinics in venues and sexual health clinics treating men who have sex with men, transgender men and transgender women.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting 46 probable monkeypox cases in Illinois, with the majority in Chicago and others in Cook, DuPage, Kane and Lake counties.
Across the country, the CDC Is reporting 396 cases.
Monkeypox is a rare viral illness that typically begins with flu-like symptoms and swelling of the lymph nodes before progressing to a rash on the face and body. The illness typically lasts two to four weeks.
It can be spread from person to person through close physical contact with monkeypox sores; items that have been contaminated with fluids or sores, such as clothing or bedding; or through respiratory droplets during prolonged face-to-face contact, according to the state and Chicago health departments.
Anyone can get monkeypox, but a high number of cases so far have been among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, according to the CDC.
People with new, unexplained rashes, sores or symptoms should see a health care provider, and they should avoid being intimate with anyone until the provider sees them.
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Still, health experts say monkeypox is less transmissible than COVID-19 or the flu and has a very low mortality rate.
