- How is VA addressing the Monkeypox outbreak?
VA continues to comply with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) medical, an infection management, and get in touch with investigation steerage. VA has chartered a Monkeypox Coordination Workforce who’re working expeditiously with the sphere and program workplace stakeholders and subject material specialists to:
- Present medical steerage to the sphere.
- Procure and distribute vaccines in a clear and equitable method.
- Standardize and increase inside VA monkeypox testing capability.
- Create surveillance and analytic instruments; leverage our analysis experience and assets to develop a VA monkeypox analysis agenda and launch applicable research.
- Develop communications merchandise for the workers and our Veterans.
- Are all VA medical services going to have monkeypox vaccines in inventory?
VA will develop a distribution plan for monkeypox vaccine to make sure equitable distribution throughout the VA services based mostly on the projected affected person wants, as soon as the VA receives its preliminary allocation of the vaccine.
- With restricted present nationwide vaccine provide, what plan is the VA following to manage its monkeypox vaccine allocation?
VA will obtain roughly 13,000 vials (as much as 65,000 doses) of JYNNEOS™ monkeypox vaccine from Division of Well being and Human Providers as early as the tip of August. As soon as VA receives its preliminary allocation of the vaccine, it would start providing the JYNNEOS™ vaccine to Veterans vulnerable to an infection.
- Are Veterans and SAVE LIVES Act recipients eligible to obtain the monkeypox vaccine at VA?
Any one who is available in direct skin-to-skin contact with one other who’s contaminated might catch monkeypox. The present outbreak has, for now, disproportionately affected the homosexual, bisexual, and different males who’ve intercourse with males who ought to be prioritized for vaccine based mostly on their private threat of publicity. VA is following CDC tips and prioritizing people for the vaccine based mostly on their private threat of publicity.
VA will even coordinate with native well being departments to obtain monkeypox vaccine if VA doesn’t have provides obtainable for Veteran sufferers. Presently, the SAVE LIVES Act eligibility is proscribed to COVID-19 vaccine.
- How will Veterans know if their native VA medical facility is offering the monkeypox vaccine?
Veterans are inspired to go to their native medical facility’s web site for the newest updates and get in touch with data.
- Is testing for Monkeypox obtainable via VA?
Monkeypox testing is presently obtainable to VA services via the VA Public Well being Reference Laboratory in Palo Alto, California, via the states, or via business laboratories.
- Are there antivirals in opposition to Monkeypox?
There are presently no antivirals permitted by the Meals and Drug Administration for the remedy of monkeypox; nonetheless, antivirals developed in opposition to smallpox can be found from the CDC as an investigational drug. VA has signed a reliance settlement with CDC’s human topic safety committee to entry these medication when indicated to deal with sufferers with extreme monkeypox.
- How lengthy does monkeypox final?
Monkeypox usually takes about two weeks to 4 weeks to run its course. For those who’re uncovered to monkeypox, your supplier will monitor you till the rash resolves.
- Is monkeypox deadly?
The much less extreme Clade II pressure is inflicting the present world outbreak (2022). To this point, nobody has died from this outbreak in america. However monkeypox can result in different issues (issues) like pneumonia and infections in your mind (encephalitis) or eyes, which could be deadly.
- The place can workers go together with questions?
VHA has established a Resource Room the place workers can submit questions that can be routed to the suitable subject material specialists.
