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On Friday, Aug. 26 the Piedmont Health District released an online monkeypox vaccination interest form for anyone interested in receiving the vaccine. Filling the form out does not guarantee you vaccination but will give nurses the opportunity to screen for eligibility and vaccinate those most at-risk.

“We want to ensure that anyone at risk due to a monkeypox exposure or a higher potential for future exposure has access to vaccination,” said Piedmont Health District Director Maria Almond, MD, MPH. “Often those who are most at-risk have the most difficult time accessing the care they need, so giving our community the ability to use an online interest form makes it that much easier to access the needed protection.”

Monkeypox is a rare contagious rash illness caused by the monkeypox virus. In the current outbreak the risk to the general public is low, but anyone can become infected with monkeypox. It is spread by close, personal contact, most often skin-to-skin, with an infected person. The highest risk activity currently is having sex with multiple or anonymous partners. Avoiding these activities greatly lowers your risk of contracting the virus. Monkeypox cannot spread by casual conversation with someone infected or by walking past someone with monkeypox.

The initial symptoms may be flu-like, including a fever, headache, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes, followed by skin lesions. However, some people only experience a rash with no other symptoms.

If you have any questions or need help filling out the form, please contact your local health department nurse or call the general information hotline at (434) 392-8187 x 137.

The form may be found at https://redcap.vdh.virginia.gov/redcap/surveys/?s=8MN7EATTMM