NHS Launches New Online Site Finder for Monkeypox Vaccines

 

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The NHS has today launched a new online vaccine site finder to make it as easy as possible for eligible people to get their monkeypox jab.

Almost 50,000 people have so far been vaccinated for monkeypox since the NHS rolled out the programme at speed once the first cases were identified.

Vaccination

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the UK Consensus Group estimate around 95,000 people in England are eligible, but only half of these are in contact with sexual health services.

The online service means that anyone who is eligible can go online and find their nearest site and find information on how they can get an appointment.

In line with UKHSA guidance those at greatest risk of exposure are eligible. This includes high risk gay, bisexual and/or men who have sex with men (GBMSM), along with specific frontline staff and those who have been in close contact with a confirmed case.

There are already almost 100 sites on the monkeypox vaccine site finder across England – the site finder allows people to receive their vaccination confidentially if they choose to.

FIND A VACCINATION SITE NEAR YOU

 

Until now, the NHS and sexual health services have been contacting men who are likely to be at higher risk of infection to get protected, because for example, they had an appointment, including for PrEP.

Now anyone eligible is being asked to come forward for a first dose as more supply becomes available and receive the vaccine.

The NHS is prioritising first doses for individuals who are most likely to get the virus in line with advice. The NHS or sexual health service will contact you when it is your turn to get your second dose.

Up to 17 October 2022 there were 3,537 confirmed and 149 highly probable monkeypox cases detected in the UK: 3,686 in total.

Anyone who thinks they have symptoms of monkeypox should limit interactions with others and contact their local sexual health clinic or phone 111. You should not visit A&E or your GP.

Common signs of monkeypox infection include:

  • Fever
  • Headache
  • Muscle Aches
  • Exhaustion
  • Swollen Lymph Nodes
  • And the Development of a New Rash

The majority of monkeypox cases in the UK continue to be in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, with the infection being passed on mainly through close intimate contact in interconnected sexual networks but monkeypox can also be spread from person to person through:

  • Touching Clothing
  • Bedding or Towels used by someone with the Monkeypox Rash
  • Or by touching Monkeypox Skin Blisters or Scabs. 

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MONKEYPOX ON THE NHS WEBSITE

Published: Oct 21, 2022