Monkeypox Vaccination Eligibility Expanded in New York

The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) announced yesterday plans to distribute 3,840 vials of the Monkeypox vaccine known as Jynneos® (MVA-BN, IMVANEX®). It will also be made available to all individuals at risk of becoming infected as vaccine eligibility is expanded.

Before the expansion on September 14, 2022, Jynneos's vaccine eligibility was limited to those likely exposed to the monkeypox virus (MPXV).

"By expanding eligibility, we are hopeful that many more New Yorkers will get immunized and prevent further transmission," commented State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett in a press release. 

"This distribution plan, and the eligibility expansion, will enable us to get the vaccine to more individuals across the state before they are exposed."

As of September 14, 2022, the U.S. CDC confirmed a total of 22,774 monkeypox/orthopoxvirus cases since May, with 3,694 in New York.

The definition of 'MPXV exposure' in New York includes the following:

• Individuals with recent exposure to a suspected or confirmed monkeypox case within the past 14 days.
• Those at high risk of recent exposure to the MPXV, including gay men and members of the bisexual, transgender, and gender non-conforming community and other communities of men who have sex with men and who have engaged in intimate or skin-to-skin contact with others in the past 14 days in areas where monkeypox is spreading.
• Individuals who have had skin-to-skin contact with someone in a social network experiencing monkeypox activity, including men who have sex with men who meet partners through an online website, digital application, or social events, such as a bar or party.
• Any individual at risk of future exposure to infection with the MPXV, even though they are not at high risk of recent exposure to the MPXV.

The allotment of 3,840 new vials of the Jynneos vaccine from the federal government is to be delivered in the coming days.

The NYSDOH will send an additional 1,000 vials to New York City, which has seen the bulk of the MPXV cases and will also reserve 680 vials for future distribution as needs arise.

In addition to the vaccine distribution plans and expanded eligibility, New York Governor Hochul and NYSDOH launched a new SMS text message effort to get New Yorkers information about monkeypox, including the ability to opt-in to location-based messages.

New Yorkers can sign-up for the campaign by texting "MONKEYPOX" to 81336 or "MONKEYPOXESP" for texts in Spanish.

Other monkeypox vaccine news is posted at PrecisionVaccinations.com/Monkeypox.

And information about worldwide monkeypox outbreaks impacting over 63,800 people is posted at Vax-Before-Travel.

CDC says the best vaccination advice comes from your health care provider.

PrecisionVaccinations publishes fact-checked, research-based vaccine news curated for mobile readership.