ST. LOUIS — The City of St. Louis Department of Health is hosting a monkeypox vaccination event Saturday.
Appointments are available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The event is being held in the first-floor conference room at the St. Louis Department of Health facility at 1520 Market Street.
Click here to schedule an appointment.
Monkeypox symptoms are similar to smallpox symptoms but milder. While rarely fatal, it can cause symptoms such as:
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle aches and backache
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Chills
- Exhaustion
- Pimple- or blister-like rashes
The virus can spread through prolonged skin-to-skin contact, including hugging, cuddling and kissing, as well as sharing bedding, towels and clothing.
On Aug. 4, the federal government declared a public health emergency to bolster the response to the monkeypox outbreak.
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has designated St. Louis County Health Department to act as the region's vaccine hub for St. Louis City and St. Louis County, St. Charles, and Jefferson County.
The plan is to be smart about vaccine usage and stretch the number of vials they have.
The departments will take guidance from the FDA to change the way the vaccine is given.
Shots will be administered intradermally, which means between the layers of the skin, rather than under the skin.
This allows providers to get five doses out of a standard one-dose vial.
The vaccine protects against the disease.
Monkeypox vaccine requires two doses four weeks apart, with maximum effectiveness at least two weeks after the second dose.
For more information on monkeypox, click here.
For details on the event, click here.