The rollout of the monkeypox vaccine will start this week, with a focus on high-risk people once 3500 doses arrive in Victoria today. | heyracheddie
Sexual health clinics and public health units will begin vaccinating at-risk people.Victorians most at risk from monkeypox will start to be vaccinated this week after 3500 doses arrive in the state on Tuesday, but demand is expected to outstrip supply until another shipment arrives next month.
The vaccine, which is most effective after two weeks, can prevent transmission of the monkeypox virus but can also be used as a post-exposure treatment.More than 26,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported globally, with the vast majority of patients in countries that have not previously dealt with the virus.Last week, Dr Nick Medland, president of Australasian Society for HIV Medicine and a Kirby Institute researcher, saidhad received their first dose of the vaccine.
The virus spreads through prolonged and often intimate skin-to-skin contact with an infected person. The outbreak has disproportionately affected men who have sex with men, but it can be transmitted to anyone who has prolonged contact with someone with monkeypox.