UK HealthCare event offers free mpox vaccines on campus
LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 10, 2024) — In response to an increase in mpox cases in Kentucky, UK HealthCare providers have opted to provide a free vaccine event Wednesday.
Mpox, formerly monkeypox, is an infectious, viral disease that can cause a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes and fever. Most of the observed cases so far are in persons who are unvaccinated or have only received one dose of the two-dose vaccine series.
The free event will take place Wednesday, May 15, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy Atrium in the Lee T. Todd, Jr. Building at 789 South Limestone. The Mpox vaccine, Jynneos, will be offered to all comers while supplies last.
"We've recently observed an uptick in the number of mpox cases in Kentucky,” said Nicholas Van Sickels, M.D., the director of infection prevention and control at UK HealthCare. “Getting this safe and effective vaccine can help protect you and the well-being of those closest to you."
Parking for the event will be available in the Press Avenue Garage and parking lots E26, accessed via Gazette Avenue, and E27, accessible via Press Avenue. Parking in those spaces after 4 p.m. will be free.
Participants may also be eligible to receive a $30 grocery gift card while supplies last. Forty gift cards will be available.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends receiving the vaccine if you suspect you’ve had exposure to someone with mpox or are a gay, bisexual or other man who has sex with men or are a transgender, nonbinary or gender-diverse person who in the past six months has had a new diagnosis of a sexually transmitted infection or have had sex with more than one partner. More information can be found on the CDC website.
Mpox is spread through direct contact with lesions or skin of an infected person. The virus enters the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract or mucosal surfaces like those found in the mouth or genital areas.
The virus can spread to other household members and sexual partners. People with multiple sexual partners are at higher risk.
It’s imperative that those receiving the vaccine get both doses. The vaccine is proven to be most effective – close to 90% protection – two weeks after receiving the second dose. The second dose can be given four weeks after receiving the first dose.
Those looking for their second dose after Wednesday’s vaccine event can check an online mpox vaccine locator courtesy of the CDC. UK HealthCare’s Fountain Court Pharmacy also offers the vaccine however those options may not be complimentary.
Another free vaccine event will be available at the Lexington Pride Festival on Saturday, June 29, at the Central Bank Center.
UK HealthCare is the hospitals and clinics of the University of Kentucky. But it is so much more. It is more than 10,000 dedicated health care professionals committed to providing advanced subspecialty care for the most critically injured and ill patients from the Commonwealth and beyond. It also is the home of the state’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for the tiniest and sickest newborns, the region’s only Level 1 trauma center and Kentucky’s top hospital ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
As an academic research institution, we are continuously pursuing the next generation of cures, treatments, protocols and policies. Our discoveries have the potential to change what’s medically possible within our lifetimes. Our educators and thought leaders are transforming the health care landscape as our six health professions colleges teach the next generation of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals, spreading the highest standards of care. UK HealthCare is the power of advanced medicine committed to creating a healthier Kentucky, now and for generations to come.