Travis County rolls out monkeypox vaccines, updates eligibility

Presumptive and confirmed cases should be treated equally, said Dr. Desmar Walkes, the city's medical director and health authority.

Confirmed cases represent cases that were confirmed positive with a special PCR test, and presumptive cases represent cases that were confirmed with an orthopoxvirus test. Testing is only administered to people who have visible rashes, Walkes said.

Eligibility

APH created a prioritized list showing which groups are eligible for the vaccine.

Priority 1 is individuals who had a sexual partner in the past 14 days who was diagnosed with monkeypox or those who had multiple sexual partners in the past 14 days in a jurisdiction with known monkeypox.

Priority 2 are cisgender or transgender men who have had sex with men.

Priority 3 are men who had multiple or anonymous sexual partners in the past 21 days; anyone with a sexual partner who is showing signs of monkeypox; people taking HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis; people diagnosed with HIV, early syphilis, chlamydia or gonorrhea in the past year; and those with a condition such as eczema or atopic dermatitis that is associated with increased risk of monkeypox.

APH recommends anyone who meets the criteria call the nurse line at 512-972-5560.

Outreach

Cassandra DeLeon, chief administrative officer at APH, said health authorities are working to make monkeypox treatment as accessible as possible.

At the meeting, commissioners approved a motion to consider expanding Travis County’s COVID-19 vaccine contract with Ascension Seton to include monkeypox vaccines.

Further, DeLeon said providers are working to open a vaccine clinic at a bar on Rainey Street next month.

Walkes said APH is also working on gathering geographic data on the allocation of the vaccine, a priority Commissioner Jeff Travillion outlined at the Aug. 16 meeting.