Health

Dept. of Health Makes Monkeypox Vaccine Available to At-Risk Populations

The V.I .Department of Health said Monday night that it has started making available monkeypox vaccines by appointment only throughout the territory to at-risk populations. To date, no monkeypox cases have been confirmed in the USVI, but D.O.H. has sent a total of ten samples for testing, with eight returning negative and two pending, local health officials said Monday. D.O.H. categorized the following as at-risk for monkeypox:  Persons who have been in intimate/close contact with someone who is confirmed to have monkeypox within 2 weeks. Persons who are more likely to be exposed to Monkeypox and who meet the following criteria for vaccination for Monkeypox prevention: Laboratory workers Emergency room clinical staff Public health and urgent care clinical staff Emergency first responders Severely immunocompromised Men who have sex with men Anyone with 2 or more sexual partners in the past 3 months Anyone using street drugs during sex Anyone who has had syphilis, gono...