According to Public Health, high-risk groups include:
- Men who have sex with men and transgender or gendering non-conforming people who
- Are HIV+ or had a sexually transmitted infection in the last year
- Have had multiple anonymous sexual partners in the last two weeks
- Attended a sex party or bathhouse in the last two weeks
- Anyone who exchanges sex for money, goods or services
Anyone who meets the above criteria should visit https://www.gcph.info/wellness-services/communicable-disease/monkeypox/monkeypox-what-to-know and click on the “Monkeypox vaccine screening questionnaire”. Public Health will contact those who have filled out the questionnaire to schedule an appointment as the vaccine is available. Vaccinations will take place at Public Health’s clinic at 360 Wilson Drive in Xenia.
As vaccine supplies increase the criteria for vaccination may change.
Public Health will notify close contacts of people who’ve contracted monkeypox. Some close contacts could be eligible for the vaccine to help prevent the spread of the virus or to decrease symptoms.
Monkeypox typically starts with flu-like symptoms and swollen lymph nodes before progressing to a rash, according to Public Health. However, cases across the U.S. recently appear to be less likely to have the initial flu-like symptoms or swollen lymph nodes. The rash, which can look like pimples or blisters, may stay in one area of the body.
The virus can spread by person-to-person contact with the infectious rash, scabs or body fluids, according to Public Health. It can also be spread from respiratory secretions during prolonged face-to-face contact or during intimate physical contact, including kissing, cuddling or sex. People who are pregnant can pass the virus to their fetus.
Monkeypox can also spread by touching items, such as clothing or linens, that have touched the rash or body fluids of someone with monkeypox. People can also get it from infected animals, including through animal bites or by eating meat or using animal products, according to Public Health.
People who do not have symptoms cannot spread monkeypox. Currently, the risk to the public is low, according to Public Health.
The virus can be spread from the start of symptoms until the rash has fully healed and there’s a fresh layer of skin. It typically lasts from two to four weeks.
So far there have been 215 cases of monkeypox reported in the state, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Fifteen cases required hospitalization and there have been no deaths.
Regionally, four cases have been reported in Montgomery County and three have been reported in Butler County. No cases have been reported in Greene County at this time, according to ODH.
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