JACKSON, Wyo. — Eligible community members can now register to receive a monkeypox vaccine, announced the Teton County Health Department today.
Based on the eligibility criteria set by the Wyoming Department of Health the Teton County Health Department is focusing on community members who meet the following criteria at this time: individuals who live or work in Wyoming, are 18 years and older and who meet one or more of the following criteria listed here.
Vaccine registration is on a first come first serve basis per the Wyoming Department of Health and more information on monkeypox can be found by visiting this link. Individuals who have joined the registration list will be contacted with the next steps on how to book a vaccine appointment. Weekly appointments will open based on Teton County’s vaccine allotment. The registration list will also serve as the waitlist for the vaccine. For those who need assistance booking an appointment or have questions regarding monkeypox please call the Teton County Health Department COVID/Monkeypox Hotline at 307-732-8628.
Currently, the State of Wyoming has received a limited supply of the monkeypox vaccine, JYNNEOS. JYNNEOS is an FDA-approved vaccine used to prevent monkeypox infections in individuals 18 and older.
Monkeypox is in the same family of viruses as smallpox and cowpox. It is rarely fatal. To date, there have been 8,934 cases identified in the US, in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Worldwide, there have been over 30,189 cases during the current outbreak. There have been no reported deaths due to the virus.
Dr. Alexia Harrist, state health officer and state epidemiologist with the Wyoming Department of Health, said monkeypox is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. “This disease is usually characterized by a rash and can also involve other symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and tiredness,” she said.
TCHD explained that monkeypox is not like COVID-19; it is not airborne and does not easily spread from person to person with casual contact like shaking hands or touching the same surfaces.
Instead, the spread of this virus occurs through prolonged skin-to-skin contact with infectious sores, rash, scabs, and bodily fluids, contaminated items such as clothing, bedding, or towels, or through respiratory droplets associated with prolonged face-to-face contact, such as kissing.
Last week, Idaho reported its first case of monkeypox. Meanwhile, no cases related to this outbreak have yet been identified among Wyoming residents.
