Those who live in Prince George’s County, Maryland can preregister for a monkeypox vaccine.
They can do it by visiting the county health department’s dedicated monkeypox webpage. When appointments become available, individuals will be notified to schedule an appointment.
A county news release said information that residents put in is confidential and is used by county and state health department staff to determine eligibility. While anyone can preregister, not everyone may receive an appointment unless they have been identified as a close contact of a confirmed monkeypox case, or they’re a health care worker who may have been exposed, or they work directly with monkeypox testing.
“Right now, the Health Department is vaccinating residents with the highest risk of contracting monkeypox to avoid further community spread,” Prince George’s County Health Officer Dr. Ernest Carter said.
Maryland health department numbers, as of Wednesday, indicate that there are 204 cases of human monkeypox in Prince George’s County. Overall, Maryland has 571 cases reported.
Last month, D.C. and Virginia expanded the criterial for who can get the monkeypox vaccine. In July, D.C. experienced the largest outbreak of monkeypox per capita in the nation.
Monkeypox is spread through prolonged close or skin-to-skin contact with someone who has monkeypox or showing monkeypox symptoms.
For more information on monkeypox and how it spreads, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.