Maine’s ability to vaccinate against the monkeypox virus is limited for now, but treatments are quickly expanding and the state may soon be able to ramp up inoculation efforts, its top disease expert said Tuesday.
Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah teamed up with Maine LGBTQ organizations to emphasize the importance of preventing infection before monkeypox escalates into an endemic disease, meaning it would be regularly found in a population. Attention to the virus has been ramping up after President Joe Biden named monkeypox a public health emergency in early August.
Just five confirmed cases have been found in Maine, including one in a child. While anyone can get monkeypox, the majority of cases have been found among men who have sex with men. Prevention efforts and vaccine locations have been concentrated on that community, but others are also eligible.
Here is what you need to know about monkeypox prevention efforts in Maine.
How many vaccine doses do you need?
The Jynneos vaccine is the only U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved option to prevent monkeypox. It is a two-dose regimen, with the second dose administered 28 days later. It takes two weeks for full immunity to be achieved.
Can you get vaccinated if you’ve been exposed to monkeypox?
Yes, but Shah said anyone who suspects or has been notified of exposure should try to do so within four days of the contact. It is possible to vaccinate someone within two weeks of exposure.
Where is the vaccine available?
The Maine CDC lists five clinics on its website: the Maine Family Planning in Lewiston; the Portland STD clinic; Maine Medical Center’s Gilman Clinic in Portland; Greater Portland Health in Portland; and Local Roots Health Care in Kennebunk.
The state has also made limited distributions to other parts of the state, including Penobscot and Aroostook counties, Shah said. There is also some exploration of placing vaccines in more “neutral” locations, or places not geared specifically toward LGBTQ health.
But he said the state does not have enough vaccine supply to distribute it evenly across the state, so there are far fewer doses available in northern areas. Like the COVID-19 vaccine, an opened vial needs to be used quickly to avoid waste. Shah said the current distribution is meant to minimize that.
“I think we’ve struck right now the appropriate balance, but we’re always looking to refine it,” he said.
Is there a treatment for monkeypox, and where can I get it?
Much more available are antiviral treatments including tecovirimat, or TPOXX, that can reduce the symptoms of those who get severely ill with the virus.
There are 17 locations offering TPOXX in nine of the state’s counties, according to the Maine CDC, going as far east as Hancock County and north to Piscataquis County. Two additional clinics in Penobscot and Cumberland counties can provide the medication with a prescription.
The treatment’s greatest use is to lessen the amount of time monkeypox’s signature blisters and rash linger, something Shah said is critical to reducing symptoms. In some more severe cases, it could prevent people from needing to be hospitalized.
