Merced County has a limited amount of Monkeypox vaccines for those that are considered high risk. Please look over the criteria and if you think you meet the criteria, please call Student Health Services at 209-228-2273.
We are reserving the vaccine for:
1. Close Contacts - if you are a known close contact of a monkeypox case who is identified by public health via contact tracing, investigation, and risk exposure assessments, etc.
2. Post- Exposure Prophylaxis: Individuals with certain risk factors who are more likely to have been exposed to monkeypox even if they have not had a documented confirmed exposure to someone with monkey pox.
This includes:
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: (from CDPH)
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Have been diagnosed with a bacterial sexually transmitted disease (e.g., chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis) in the past 3 months, OR
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Have engaged in chemsex or group sex with other men, OR
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Have had sex recently with anonymous male partners, OR
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Have attended sex-on-premises venues (e.g., saunas, bathhouses, sex clubs), OR
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Have engaged in survival and/or transactional sex, OR
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Are part of other populations who are at highest risk of monkeypox exposure, as identified through local epidemiological investigations.
3. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis: individuals with an occupation that will likely expose them to monkeypox.