As monkeypox cases continue to rise across the globe, the Utah County Health Department will be holding a pop-up vaccination clinic on Thursday aimed at protecting groups most vulnerable to the virus.

“We’ve definitely been seeing monkeypox cases; we know it’s here in Utah County,” said Aislynn Tolman-Hill, public information officer for UCHD.

According to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, there have been 11 confirmed cases in Utah County and 100 in Utah with 3,192 people having already been vaccinated statewide.

Information about the clinic has been communicated through a variety of ways, according to Tolman-Hill, to communities most at risk of contracting monkeypox.

“It’s not something that the general public needs to be concerned about right now for themselves,” she said. “It does transmit quite differently than, for instance, COVID.”

Monkeypox can be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact with infected people. The health department website lists possible methods of transmission as direct contact with an infectious rash, scabs or body fluids; respiratory secretions during prolonged face-to-face contact or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling or sex; and touching items (such as clothing or linens) that previously touched an infectious rash or body fluids.

Symptoms typically begin one to two weeks after exposure, though could range from five to 21 days and usually mimic fever symptoms to start with a rash appearing soon after, with symptoms usually lasting two to four weeks.

“If someone is at risk and they’re not feeling well, they’re encouraged to stay home,” Tolman-Hill said.

The vaccination clinic is not open to the general public, like COVID-19 vaccination clinics, due to limited resources and an attempt to target communities considered most at risk for contracting monkeypox.

According to the Utah Department of Health, vaccines are reserved for two groups — individuals who have had close, intimate contact with someone who has monkeypox, and men who have sex with men who have had multiple partners in recent weeks.

Those looking to sign up for the vaccination clinic can register on the Utah County Health Department website.

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