The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit will be offering free Monkeypox vaccines at upcoming clinics this Friday, August 5, and next week for those eligible to get a dose.
You can visit the Port Hope office between August 5 and 9 to get your shot.
These clinics come a week after the first local case of Monkeypox was detected in the HKPR District Health Unit region.
Monkeypox is spread through close, direct contact with infected bodily fluids (i.e. lesions, blisters) or respiratory droplets (i.e. coughing). While Monkeypox is in the same family as smallpox, it is less contagious and includes milder symptoms.
Currently in Ontario, trans- or cis-gender individuals who self-identify as belonging to the gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) community can get Monkeypox vaccine if they meet one of these criteria:
- Have had two or more sexual partners within the past 21 days or may be planning to.
- Have had anonymous/casual sex in the past 21 days or may be planning to.
- Have received a diagnosis of bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the past two months. Examples of bacterial STIs are chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis.
- Have attended venues for sexual contact within the past 21 days, or may be planning to, or who work/volunteer in these settings. Examples of these settings include bath houses or sex clubs.
- Engage in sex for work or may be planning to. Sexual contacts of these individuals are also eligible to receive the monkeypox vaccine.
If individuals meet these criteria, call the Health Unit at 1-866-888-4577, ext. 1507, to book a clinic appointment for the Monkeypox vaccine. For more information on Monkeypox and vaccine eligibility, visit the Health Unit’s Monkeypox Virus web page. After getting the vaccine, it takes two weeks to build protection. During these two weeks, the HKPR District Health Unit encourages people to reduce their number of close contacts, including sex partners.
Individuals who have been identified by their local public health unit as having a high or intermediate risk exposure with someone who has the Monkeypox virus are also eligible to receive the Monkeypox vaccine. These individuals will be contacted directly by their local public health unit.