Monkeypox cases have been confirmed in 10 Wisconsin counties, state health data shows – Green Bay Press Gazette
Monkeypox has been identified in 10 Wisconsin counties, according to the state Department of Health Services.
The state had confirmed 43 presumed cases of monkeypox as of Tuesday, 19 of which were in Milwaukee County.
Ten counties have reported at least one case of the virus, according to state data obtained Wednesday by the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.
Over a quarter of the cases were found in Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago counties.
In Madison, health officials identified six presumed cases.
About 30% of Wisconsin’s supply of Junneos monkeypox vaccine has been administered by healthcare providers. To date, 980 doses of the state’s 3,286 vials of the vaccine have been given to patients.
Doses of the vaccine are available in Wisconsin for prioritized groups: those who have had sexual relations in the last two weeks with someone diagnosed with monkeypox, people who have attended an event or venue with known monkeypox exposure, and gay or bisexual men, trans men and women, gender nonconforming people and any man who has had sex with men in the last 14 days.
The first shot will be given in Winnebago County Thursday, in hopes of providing more at least once a week, said health officer Doug Gieryn. The county health department will be offering a small, closed vaccine clinic available by appointment only. It isn’t open to the public and residents must contact the health department or their physician to sign up for a shot.
The clinic will be like a “test run” to gauge demand for the vaccine before scheduling additional vaccination clinics, Gieryn said. The health department was initially allotted 10 doses but can expand that to 50 doses by administering the shots intradermally.
Previously, the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine had only been given as a subcutaneous shot, which is a deeper shot that is delivered to the fat layer under the skin.
Following an emergency use authorization issued last week by the Food and Drug Administration, the vaccine is now available for adults as an intradermal injection, which penetrates only the top layer of skin. Those vaccinations require a smaller amount of the drug, allowing each vial of the vaccine to be used to vaccinate up to five people.
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Health departments choose whether to administer the vaccines intradermally depending on training and availability of staff or residents.
In Brown County, where two cases have been identified, 23 vaccines have been administered subcutaneously, said Anna Nick, public health officer.
Health officials have administered about two dozen shots in Appleton, Appleton Health Officer Charles Sepers said.
Seven cases have been confirmed in Outagamie County. Five of them were in Appleton.
Wait times have generally been less than a day, Sepers said. The health department has been able to screen people quickly over the phone and get them a shot the same day.
“We can provide vaccines same day so it makes sense for us to offer that service without any barriers,” Sepers said.
Appleton health officials started giving shots intradermally this week, but it requires the vaccines to be given out in groups of three to five people to make use of all the doses in a vial.
To ensure there are enough people at a time, the health department has started offering closed vaccine clinics for three to eight people at a time. The first clinic was on Friday, and will be occurring weekly going forward. Anyone who wants a shot will need to call the health department or their physician.
While transmission of the virus is low, residents can take steps to reduce spread:
- Know the symptoms and risk factors of monkeypox. Anyone with a rash that looks like monkeypox should talk to a doctor or nurse about whether they need to get tested, even if they don’t think they had contact with someone who has monkeypox.
- Avoid skin-to-skin contact with people who are showing a rash or skin sores. Avoid kissing, hugging, having sex, or sharing items with someone with monkeypox.
- Monitor your health for fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes and a new, unexplained rash, and contact a health care provider if any of those occur. If you become ill, avoid contact with others until you receive health care.
Monkeypox cases by county as of Tuesday
- Milwaukee: 19
- Outagamie: 7
- Dane: 6
- Brown: 3
- Kenosha: 2
- Winnebago: 2
- La Crosse: 1
- Langlade: 1
- Walworth: 1
- Waukesha: 1
Contact Benita Mathew at bmathew@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @benita_mathew.