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September 14, 2022 Monkeypox vaccines, including second doses, available at upcoming New Orleans vaccination eventsFlu and COVID-19 vaccines, including Pfizer boosters, will also be available
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, -
The Louisiana Department of Health, in partnership with the New Orleans Health Department, will offer monkeypox vaccines, including second doses, at events starting next week.
Anyone who received the first of the two-dose series at monkeypox vaccine events in August can get their second dose. CDC recommends that individuals receive the second dose of the monkeypox vaccine within 24-35 days of the first dose. First doses of the monkeypox vaccines are also available to eligible groups. Conveniently, the flu vaccine, the COVID vaccine and the new Pfizer bivalent booster, which is authorized for people ages 12 and up, will be available, too.
Partners are hosting events at the following times and locations. First and second monkeypox doses are available at all locations, in addition to the COVID-19 bivalent booster.
- The Crossing, Tuesday, September 20, from 4 to 9 p.m., 439 Dauphine St. (This event is ideal for anyone who got their first dose at the Vaxxtravaganza event held in the French Quarter on August 24, or who is due for their second dose this week.)
- Three Palms, Tuesday, September 27, from 4 to 8 p.m., 3813 Tulane Ave. (This event is ideal for anyone who got their first dose at Three Palms on August 30, or who is due for their second dose this week.)
- Orpheum Theater, Saturday, October 1, from 1 to 6 p.m., 129 Roosevelt Way. (This event is ideal for anyone who got their first dose at the Southern Decadence Health Hub, or who is due for their second dose this week.)
You do not need to get your first and second doses at the same location. Anyone who is due for a second dose can come to any of the above events, or find your second dose at a nearby provider location by visiting LDH's monkeypox webpage at ldh.la.gov/monkeypox or by calling 211.
As of September 14, Louisiana has identified 217 cases of monkeypox in Louisiana residents since the start of the 2022 U.S. Monkeypox Outbreak.
Monkeypox Vaccine Eligibility
As of August 31, 2022, the expanded criteria for vaccination include people in Louisiana who meet one of the following:
- Gay/bisexual men or transgender people who are sexually active with more than one partner
- Anyone who is at high risk of monkeypox exposure. This includes but is not limited to people who:
- Are HIV positive or receive medicines to prevent HIV infection (PrEP)
- Are experiencing homelessness
- Use IV drugs
- Give or receive money or other goods in exchange for sex
- Have significant, skin-to-skin contact with others in a social or sexual venue
- Work at establishments where sexual or intimate activity occurs (e.g., bathhouses, saunas, sex clubs, hotels)
- Clinicians or laboratory staff who are at high risk of occupational exposure
- Anyone who has been determined to be at high risk by a healthcare provider or public health official
While not new, monkeypox is a potentially serious viral illness caused by a virus not commonly seen in the United States, that is spread through close physical contact. The disease can make you sick, including a possibly painful rash, which may look like bumps on your skin, blisters or ulcers. Some people have a flu-like illness before they develop a rash.
According to CDC, early data suggest that gay, bisexual, same-gender-loving, and other men who have sex with men make up a high number of cases. However, anyone who has been in close, personal contact with someone who has monkeypox can be infected, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Monkeypox Guidance
Testing for or monkeypox is now widely available. If you have symptoms and would like to be tested for monkeypox, contact your healthcare provider. Anyone without a provider or insurance can also be tested at their local parish health unit or community clinic: ldh.la.gov/phu
If your test for monkeypox is positive, stay isolated until your rash has healed, all scabs have fallen off, and a fresh layer of intact skin has formed.