Health officials urge Monkeypox vaccine, no recent cases reported locally
No cases of monkeypox were reported in the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency, but the agency has given vaccines against the disease, said Medical Director Dr. Karen Luparello.
The agency provides vaccination against that and all common diseases at its offices.
"We do have some of the vaccines available to vaccinate high-risk individuals or individuals that may have had an exposure," said health officer Rebecca Burns.
The medical director said single cases in Jackson and Kalamazoo counties were confirmed. "We have had some of our citizens call and discuss information about how high their risk is and if they should come in and have the vaccine," Dr. Luparello said.
"That's a good thing. At least there's some awareness in our communities," Dr. Puperello said. "The side effects for the monkeypox vaccine is sometimes just a little fatigue from the vaccine, so not bad at all."
The health agency provides all four approved vaccines against COVID-19. "We now have our new Novavax vaccine that actually uses a piece of the Coronavirus spike protein," she said. Two shots are required two weeks apart. There is no data yet on boosters for Novavax.
Things to know
How effective is the vaccine? Novavax is already being used in 40 other countries and had a 90% efficacy in its clinical trial, performing almost as well as the mRNA vaccines in their early trials.
How does it work? While other vaccines trick the body's cells into creating parts of the virus that can trigger the immune system, the Novavax vaccine takes a different approach. It contains the coronavirus spike protein itself, but is formulated as a nanoparticle, which cannot cause disease. When the vaccine is injected, this stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies and T-cell immune responses. The first two COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, "The mRNA vaccines, they do not use any live virus. We don't have any fear of us contracting the COVID Coronavirus from them. They don't interact with our DNA, which was a very big concern when people started hearing messenger RNA."
Are stem cells used? They do use some adult stem cells. "Are we using embryonic stem cells? The answer to that is no. Some adult cells, mostly synthetic, create this mRNA protein," the medical director explained. The mRNA protein "is kind of a messenger to get into our cells. It's surrounded by some fat and other proteins that go into our system. It makes our systems look like it wants to create the spikes on the coronavirus." Luparello said, "We've all seen that picture where there's a little crown-like spikes (on pictures of the virus.) And so our body starts to produce those kind of like spikes. And then the when if we get coronavirus they cannot really attach. We're also building antibodies against those little spikes."
Will I need boosters? Research showed the mRNA goes away over time, requiring boosters. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine is unlike the first two vaccines. It is similar to the vaccine used for the flu. It is a one-shot, making it easier to distribute and administer to people. The CDC now recommends those who received it receive either Pfizer or Moderna boosters.
The medical director urged those who are not vaccinated to get the shots. While it may not prevent you from COVID-19, it can cut the severity of the case, especially for older or immune-compromised individuals.
With polio cases reported in New York state, Dr. Luparello said unvaccinated should consider this vaccine. No Michigan cases are reported. The vaccine can prevent the spread of the long-thought conquered virus. She reached out to the Amish community in Hillsdale County, where many may be vulnerable.
Those who wish to schedule vaccinations for any disease can contact their county's local health agency offices.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Reporter: Health officials urge Monkeypox vaccine; no recent cases reported
