Monkeypox vaccine available at WCDPHE to high-risk individuals

Published on August 17, 2022

Weld County, Colorado — The Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment (WCDPHE) has a limited supply of post-exposure monkeypox vaccine for high-risk individuals.

High-risk individuals are currently defined as:

• Anyone aged 18 years and older who has had close physical contact with someone who has monkeypox in the last 14 days.
• Gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men, or transgender, non-binary, or gender-diverse people aged 18 years and older who:
  • Have had multiple sexual partners in the past 14 days or
  • Have had sexual partners they did not previously known in the past 14 days or
  • Have had close physical contact with other people in a venue where anonymous or group sex may occur.

The state health department continues to expand vaccine distribution across Colorado as supplies are received.

“The Health Department is also offering monkeypox testing to those who are uninsured or who do not have a primary care provider,” said Cynthia Horn, Chief Nursing Officer at WCDPHE. People who do test positive are asked to self-isolate until all lesions have scabbed and been replaced by new skin. Currently in Colorado there are 155 human cases of monkeypox.

Anyone can become infected with monkeypox. The virus can spread from person to person when someone who has monkeypox has close contact with someone else. Close contact means physical contact with a sick person’s sores, bumps, or lesions, including sex, and through intimate or prolonged exposure to respiratory droplets. Monkeypox can also spread through touching the bed linens or clothing of someone who is sick. Brief interactions without physical contact are unlikely to result in getting the virus.

Monkeypox may begin with flu-like symptoms that include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and exhaustion. Typically, a rash or skin bumps develop within 1 to 4 days after the onset of fever and can appear on most locations of the body. Fatality is rare in the current outbreak.

Post-exposure vaccinations given within 4 days of exposure can help prevent illness, and vaccines administered between 4 and 14 days after exposure can help prevent severe illness. Anyone who meets the high-risk criteria listed above may be eligible for the vaccine.

To check vaccine appointment eligibility and availability at WCDPHE, call (970) 304-6420. More information about monkeypox, including the vaccine, can be found on the monkeypox webpage.