Community Vaccination Events
Statewide Monkeypox Vaccine Locations
Current Vaccination Eligibility Criteria
Monkeypox Signs & Symptoms
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Monkeypox spreads in different ways. Monkeypox virus is most often spread through direct contact with a rash or sores of someone who has the virus.
It can also spread through contact with clothing, bedding, and other items used by a person with monkeypox or from respiratory droplets that can be passed through prolonged face-to-face contact, including kissing, cuddling, or sex.
People who do not have monkeypox symptoms cannot spread the virus to others.
According to the CDC, early data suggest that gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men make up a high number of cases. However, anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has monkeypox is at risk.
What should individuals with concerns do?
Know your risk for getting Monkeypox. Use the graphic below to find out how your activities may put you at risk.
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Anyone can take basic steps to prevent the spread of monkeypox. Anyone concerned about being exposed or infected should refrain from intimate or close personal contact and seek medical advice. If you do not have a healthcare provider, you can visit a parish health unit near you. Locate a parish health unit in your area at ldh.la.gov/phu
What do I do if I have symptoms?
Contact your healthcare provider immediately and avoid sex or other close, intimate contact until you have been checked out.
Testing for monkeypox is now widely available through reference laboratories in addition to the state public laboratory. Contact your healthcare provider if you have symptoms and want to be tested for monkeypox. Anyone without a provider or insurance can also be tested at their local parish health unit or community clinic: ldh.la.gov/phu
Avoid gatherings, especially if they involve close, personal, skin-to-skin contact or prolonged face-to-face contact.
Talk to your partners about any recent illness, and be aware of new or unexplained sores or rashes on your body or your partner’s body, including rashes on the genitals and anus.
People with new rashes should also be aware that the rate of syphilis is rising in Louisiana and nationally.
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.
Is there a monkeypox vaccine?
Yes. JYNNEOS is the name of the FDA-approved monkeypox vaccine – it is two doses administered 28 days apart, and full protection begins two weeks after the second shot. The monkeypox vaccine is FDA approved and available at no cost to the individual.
On August 9, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the JYNNEOS vaccine to allow healthcare providers to use the vaccine by intradermal injection for individuals 18 years of age and older who are determined to be at high risk for monkeypox infection. This will increase the total number of doses available for use by up to five-fold. The EUA also allows for use of the vaccine in individuals younger than 18 years of age determined to be at high risk of monkeypox infection; in these individuals JYNNEOS is administered by subcutaneous injection.
As of August 23, 2022, the State of Louisiana encourages individuals who meet the below eligibility criteria to get vaccinated against Monkeypox.
- Individuals with known exposures to monkeypox – determined via contact tracing
- Individuals with high-risk exposures in the last 14 days. See graphic below for more details on high-risk exposures.
Need more information about monkeypox?
Louisiana Department of Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
