Monkeypox vaccine available to all UK students at walk-up clinic Nov. 1
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 31, 2022) — University of Kentucky students are now eligible to receive the monkeypox vaccine for free at University Health Service (UHS) from 8 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Nov. 1, or until supplies of the vaccine are exhausted.
No registration is needed for the walk-up clinic which will be located in Room 130 on the first floor at UHS. Please bring your UK ID.
Monkeypox can cause a rash that can sometimes be severe and painful. Those who have been exposed to monkeypox will usually experience symptoms within three weeks of exposure to the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that monkeypox can spread through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact including:
- Direct contact with monkeypox rash, scabs or body fluids from a person with monkeypox.
- Touching objects, fabrics (clothing, bedding or towels) and surfaces that have been used by someone with monkeypox.
- Contact with respiratory secretions.
What you can do to prevent the spread:
- Get vaccinated. The vaccine is now more readily available and new data have demonstrated up to a 14 times reduction rate in the risk of contracting monkeypox for those vaccinated.
- Avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like monkeypox. While monkeypox is not considered a sexually transmitted disease, it can be transmitted through intimate contact including sex. If you are sexually active, there are steps you can take to reduce your chances of being exposed.
- Avoid contact with objects and materials that a person with monkeypox has used.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
If you think you have been exposed to monkeypox or have symptoms, isolate from others until you can be assessed/tested by a health care professional.
For more information, go to www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox.
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