No monkeypox in Catawba County; health department has administered 30 vaccinations – Hickory Daily Record
There are no cases of monkeypox in Catawba County, but a handful of qualified residents have received a vaccine for the virus.
With no reported cases of monkeypox in the county and 250 in North Carolina, the risk of monkeypox is low, Catawba County Public Health Community Engagement Specialist Emily Killian said. The virus causes fever, exhaustion and sometimes cold symptoms, then causes a rash and sores.
The risk is greatest for gay or bisexual men, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. Nearly all cases in North Carolina have been in men who have sex with men, NCDHHS said.
Gay or bisexual men or transgender individuals who have had multiple sex partners in the past three months, have a sexually transmitted infection or take HIV prevention medicine are eligible for the monkeypox vaccine, according to NCDHHS. People who have had close contact with someone with monkeypox are also eligible.
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Catawba County Public Health has given the vaccine to about 30 people in Catawba County, Killian said. The county does not get the vaccine from the federal government but worked with providers that do receive the vaccine to get doses, Killian said.
Nine county health departments received monkeypox vaccine doses from the federal government. Those counties can send vaccine doses to other counties, according to NCDHHS.
People in Catawba County who meet the criteria for vaccination and have not already been vaccinated can call Catawba County Public Health at 828-282-2002 to get on a waiting list for the vaccine.