Find a monkeypox vaccine: Appointments available in Wake, Durham, Cumberland counties
Monkeypox vaccines are now available in North Carolina. Here's a look at who is eligible and where to find one.
Monkeypox vaccines in NC
A limited supply of monkeypox vaccine, which is given in two doses, is available in the U.S. The federal government has allocated 4,548 doses of vaccine for monkeypox, or enough to fully vaccinate 2,300 people.
N.C. county health departments will receive about 1,800 doses this week, including:
- Wake – 359 doses (first shipment was 20 doses)
- Durham – 300 doses (first shipment was 62 doses)
- Cumberland – 160 doses
- Mecklenburg – 720 doses
- Guildford – 140 doses
- Buncombe – 60 doses
Who can get a monkeypox vaccine?
The CDC recommends vaccination within four days of a monkeypox exposure and says that if a person gets the vaccine four to 14 days after exposure, it may still have benefits, like easing symptoms.
Wake, Durham and Cumberland counties have started distributing the vaccine to eligible groups, which include:
- People who have been in close physical contact in the last 14 days with someone diagnosed with monkeypox
- People who know their sexual partner was diagnosed with monkeypox
- Men who have sex with men, or transgender individuals, who report any of the following in the last 90 days: Having multiple or anonymous sex partners, being diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection, or receiving HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis
Dr. Nicole Mushonga, the Interim Director of Public Health for Wake County, said not everyone needs a monkeypox vaccine at this point.
"Right now we’re really focusing on controlling where we’re currently at and individuals that have had exposure," Dr. Mushonga explained.
She said while people should be aware of the virus, they should mainly be concerned if they’ve been exposed.
"We know that monkeypox is rare, and we’re not talking about the transmissibility that we’ve seen with COVID-19," Mushonga said.
Find monkeypox information by county: Wake | Durham | Cumberland
