People can now get vaccinated for monkeypox at Cleveland Clinic’s main campus in Downtown Cleveland, regardless of if they’re a patient there.
The Clinic has opened a phone line to take calls from people interested in the vaccine, according to a hospital media release.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recommend vaccination for people 18 and older, who are at high risk for an infection. Right now, men who have sex with men are most at risk of contracting the illness, as they make up most of the cases, the CDC said.
There have been 285 cases of the viral infection and one death in Ohio since August when the World Health Organization declared monkeypox a global public health emergency, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Cuyahoga County has 142 confirmed cases, the most cases of any county in the state.
Interested individuals can call the Clinic at 216-444-2538 to be connected with an infectious disease provider to see if they qualify. People who are already Cleveland Clinic patients should discuss the vaccine with their primary care doctors, the Clinic said.
There will also be a walk-in monkeypox vaccine clinic at the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland on Wednesday Oct. 12 from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., hosted by the Cuyahoga County of Board of Health. No appointments are necessary.
Monkeypox is an infectious disease that causes flu-like symptoms and a rash that can be painful. It's commonly transmitted by skin-to-skin contact.
