Upcoming Monkeypox vaccination events

Kern County Public Health is hosting a series of Monkeypox (MPX) vaccination events on Sept. 21, 28, Oct. 7, 19, 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Prado Senior Center, 2101 Ridge Rd., Bakersfield.

The risk of MPX to the general public continues to be low. Certain people may be at higher risk of a monkeypox infection and may be eligible for vaccination. Eligibility for MPX vaccination clinics is as follows:

• Known exposure to a known monkeypox case.

• Gay, bisexual and other men (including cisgender and transgender men) who have sex with men (MSM) or transgender women who meet at least one of the following criteria:

- Have been diagnosed with a bacterial sexually transmitted disease (e.g. chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis) in the bast 12 months OR

- Have engaged in chemsex or group sex with other men, OR

- Have had sex recently with anonymous male partners, OR

- Have had sex recently with multiple male partners, OR

- Have attended sex-on-premises venues (e.g., saunas, bathhouses, sex clubs), OR

- Have engaged in survival and/or transactional sex, OR

- Use or are recommended to use HIV PrEP, OR

- Are living with HIV.

• Healthcare workers or laboratory workers who meet at least one of the following criteria:

- Routinely and frequently care for patients with monkeypox, OR

- Routinely and frequently perform tests on monkeypox specimens, OR

- Are part of a monkeypox rapid response team.

• Persons who are currently experiencing homelessness or persons experiencing intermittent homelessness who frequent shelter services.

• Persons living in residential substance use treatment centers.

Eligibility criteria will be expanded as vaccine allocation allows. To get more information and to schedule an appointment, visit our website http://www.kernpublichealth.com/monkeypox/ and click on the vaccination event information to complete a confidential survey.