Monkeypox case count rises to 17 in Forsyth | Local News | journalnow.com – Winston-Salem Journal

Monkeypox is a rare but potentially serious viral illness that typically involves flu-like symptoms, swelling of the lymph nodes and a rash that includes bumps that are filled with fluid before scabbing over.

As of Friday, there are 399 confirmed cases in the state, 99% of which involve men. Black men make up 68% of the people with confirmed cases.

The vaccine, known as Jynneos, requires two doses at least 28 days apart, and it takes 14 days after getting the second dose to reach maximum protection.

The county health department has provided 670 doses of the monkeypox vaccine as of Thursday, health director Joshua Swift said.

“We have adequate supply to meet the (two-dose) criteria and meet the demand,” Swift said.

The latest DHHS update listed Guilford with between 20 and 49 cases, while Alamance and Randolph with between 3 and 19 cases, and Davidson, Davie Stokes and Surry have one to two cases.

Mecklenburg County is reported to have at least half of the state’s case count, including being listed as the only county with more than 50 cases.

Health care experts say that monkeypox has not led to significant hospitalizations or deaths. Swift said he is not aware of any hospital patients involving the 17 Forsyth cases.

North Carolinians eligible for the monkeypox vaccine now include — as of Wednesday — women who have had sex with gay and bisexual men or transgender individuals, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

The state said it is expanding vaccine eligibility to “people who have had sexual contact with gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men, or transgender individuals in the past 90 days.”

DHHS said it is making the vaccine more widely available because of “evolving case trends and increasing supply.”

People who have already been exposed to monkeypox but do not have symptoms can be vaccinated to prevent illness or help ensure milder symptoms if the shot is given no more than 14 days after exposure.

People eligible for a vaccine also include:

*Anyone who had close contact in the past two weeks with someone who has been diagnosed with monkeypox

* Gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men, or transgender individuals, who are sexually active

* People living with HIV, or taking medication to prevent HIV (PrEP); and

* People who were diagnosed with syphilis in the past 90 days.

Around half of North Carolina’s cases are being diagnosed in people living with HIV, or in people who are taking medication to prevent HIV, or who have been recently diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection.