AUSTIN, Texas – The World Health Organization is raising the alarm about a more contagious variant of monkeypox disease that causes painful skin infections.
In response, the Austin Travis County Medical Reserve Corps was deployed for the second time on Saturday. They set up a vaccination clinic at the Montopolis Recreation Center.
Carmen is one of dozens waiting for the Mpox vaccine, also called Jynneos.
“It is very important for you to protect your health,” said Carmen.
At around 11 a.m., Austin Public Health reported that about 40 people had shown up. They expected 20 people for the entire day.
“It was a lot busier than expected, but that’s a good problem to have,” said program coordinator Isabel Cantu.
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Just over a week ago, the World Health Organization declared Mpox a global health emergency. If those three words sound like déjà vu to you, Cantu advised not to panic.
“It’s definitely not nearly as bad as COVID,” Cantu said. “We just want to find people who have risk factors, because sometimes the disease goes undiagnosed or you don’t manage it on your own. And we want to make sure people know there’s a vaccine for Mpox.”
Austin has experience with Mpox.
“We had an outbreak here in Austin two years ago, and since then we’ve been promoting the vaccine, protecting people from getting infected and tracking cases,” Cantu said.
Since the outbreak began two years ago, the Austin Health Department has reported more than 320 confirmed and probable cases across the county. However, the disease is not a regular occurrence in the region and is not the same virus variant that is causing concern around the world.
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“The current variant of the virus, which is leading to the declaration of a global health emergency, is more contagious,” said Michelle Mirsky, APH’s public health program director. “It is more deadly, but we are not seeing it here in the United States yet.”
For this reason, health authorities are urging people to get vaccinated now.
“The vaccine is free everywhere because it is an emergency vaccine,” Mirsky said.
Carmen does not take the availability of vaccines for granted.
“I have the opportunity to get vaccinated,” says Carmen. “The people here are very special.”
You can find further vaccination locations here.
APH also recommends the following steps to prevent the spread of Mpox:
- Be fully clothed and avoid skin contact with strangers.
- Limit close and/or intimate contact to people you know and share items such as drinks and blankets.
- Wear well-fitting masks in confined spaces when social distancing is not possible to reduce direct exchange of oral/nasal fluids.
- Wash/disinfect your hands and clean surfaces.
- Stay home if you feel sick or notice symptoms.
