The Latest on Monkeypox in Dane County

This information is current as of this posting. For the latest monkeypox information, see our webpage and subscribe to our email updates.

We have opened a monkeypox vaccination clinic, but we have a limited number of doses.

On August 1, we opened our first monkeypox vaccination clinic. The clinic is open during limited hours on weekdays by appointment only.

While we are excited to vaccinate more people, vaccine supply is limited nationally and in Wisconsin. We are requesting as much vaccine as the state is able to provide us. All appointments for our first two weeks of clinic are booked. We anticipate receiving more vaccine in the coming weeks, but we do not schedule people for vaccine unless we have a dose for them on hand. If you called us and left a message, we are working to return those calls as quickly as possible to answer questions and share additional information.

As of July 28, the federal government has allocated Wisconsin 1,486 doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine, which is enough vaccine for 743 people statewide to complete the two-dose series.

We are currently booked up the week of August 1 and the week of August 8. If someone has a known exposure to someone with monkeypox they should call us and we can schedule them. It is imperative that vaccination happens within 14 days of exposure, so we will prioritize those who need a vaccine within that window. We encourage other folks who are eligible but aren't immediately able to make an appointment to sign up for our email list so they know as soon as we have increased capacity.

To receive an email when we have new monkeypox information and news (such as changes in vaccine eligibility and new resources), you can subscribe to our email updates.

Vaccination Eligibility

On July 28, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced expanded eligibility for monkeypox vaccine in Wisconsin. While anyone can get monkeypox, the current outbreak is spreading through specific social networks, including men who have sex with men. If you are a man or trans man or woman who has sex with other men, you are more likely to be exposed to monkeypox at this time, which is why vaccination is prioritized for the eligible groups listed below:

• People who know that a sexual partner in the past 14 days was diagnosed with monkeypox.
• People who attended an event or venue in the last 14 days where there was known monkeypox exposure.
• Gay men, bisexual men, trans men and women, any men who have sex with men, and gender non-conforming/non-binary individuals, who have had multiple sexual partners in the last 14 days.

Known contacts who are identified by public health through case investigation, contact tracing, and risk exposure assessments are also eligible.

If you live in Dane County and believe you are eligible for a vaccine, please call (608) 243-0556 to learn more. If you live outside of Dane County, please contact your local health department.

About Monkeypox

Monkeypox does not easily spread from person to person. Monkeypox can spread through direct skin contact with someone with a rash, contact with objects or surfaces used by someone with monkeypox, or respiratory droplets or oral fluids from someone with monkeypox. The virus spreads mostly through close, intimate contact with someone who has monkeypox. Since the monkeypox rash is very distinct and may appear within three weeks of exposure, most people with monkeypox isolate soon after their symptom onset and spread it to few or no other people.

Smallpox vaccines work on monkeypox and when given within the appropriate time period can help prevent disease. Most people recover from monkeypox without treatment or hospitalization, but there are treatments available for people with severe symptoms. If you have symptoms, call your doctor.

As of August 2, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services has identified 22 cases of orthopoxvirus, presumed to be monkeypox, in Wisconsin.

Reducing Risk

The CDC has resources about reducing risk: Social Gatherings, Safer Sex, and Monkeypox

Stay Up to Date

To receive an email when we have new monkeypox information and news (such as changes in vaccine eligibility and new resources), please subscribe to our email updates. Check the box for Monkeypox Updates in the list of newsletters.

Visit publichealthmdc.com/monkeypox for more information.