Green Bay, Wisconsin (WBAY) – According to Prevea Health President and CEO Dr. Ashok Rai, people who are eligible for the monkeypox vaccine are encouraged to get vaccinated in order to prevent a large spread in Wisconsin.
Dr. Rai joined us on Action 2 News This Morning to discuss monkeypox, a new COVID-19 vaccine, and getting the family back to school healthy.
WISCONSIN MONKEYPOX
When we first started talking about COVID a few years ago, we talked about it infecting large population centres with a lot of at-risk people, and it started on the coast and eventually made its way to Wisconsin.
So it’s very concerning when we have large outbreaks, given the type of virus we’re dealing with, on our coasts, in at-risk populations, and it will continue to spread throughout the country if we don’t take action. I believe we’ve learned from COVID-19 to take more aggressive action here, particularly with vaccination, to help control the current outbreak.
SYMPTOMS AND SIGNIFICANCE
Initially, it’s just a fever and some swollen lymph nodes, and then you could get a rash all over your body, but more often than not, we’re seeing a single lesion on the palm of the hand or in a sensitive area in the United States. It begins as a flat little rash lesion, possibly a blister, and can progress to look like a pimple or larger blister or something fluid-filled or pus-filled lesion, and then it can erupt or open up and spread its fluid, infecting others.
One thing people need to remember with this is that the rash may not look bad because it’s only a single lesion, but we’ve seen reports throughout the United States, especially in sensitive areas, that it’s extremely painful, so it’s really important to prevent and stop the transmission here.
VACCINES
They’ve now established three different eligibility categories for the monkeypox vaccine. Number one is having strong, intimate sexual contact with someone who has been diagnosed with monkeypox within the last 14 days. The following broadening is having attended an event where there was a positive monkeypox case that was recently discovered. Men who have sex with men who have had multiple partners in the last 14 days are also eligible for the vaccine.
Because we could vaccinate a lot more if we had more vaccines, this is still a conservative way of vaccinating due to limited supply, but hopefully that eligibility will broaden as we get more supply. It is critical that you contact your primary care physician. If you don’t have one, get in touch with public health or one of the local providers. We can all get you vaccinated through DHS.
COVID AND HOSPITAL CARE
We’re starting to see it in cases. We see a little up and a little down every day, but it’s not going away. Total cases and hospitalised cases have fluctuated on a weekly basis. We haven’t seen the same sharp curves as in the past, which is fantastic. The more people who are protected against COVID-19 through immunity, especially when it comes through vaccines, the fewer people who need to be hospitalised.
TESTING
Testing is extremely important. If you have symptoms, it’s critical to get tested; as we start to go inside, as we start to go to school, maybe stock up on some of those home antigen tests if you can, to ensure that you’re testing frequently, especially if you have symptoms.
NOVAVAX
There is another COVID-19 vaccine available. It’s about as effective as the vaccines we’ve seen, particularly the Pfizer and Moderna, but it’s been developed differently. It’s developed in a more traditional vaccine development manner, with pieces of COVID-19 protein being incorporated into the vaccine. Consider getting a tetanus shot or the HPV vaccine, both of which have been available for decades. Tetanus was developed in the same manner. So, for people who were initially hesitant to get the shot because mRNA technology was new and they were concerned, this vaccine alleviates that concern. So that more people can be immunised. Still, two shots separated by a few weeks. We’ll
SECOND YEAR OF SCHOOL
Whether you’re an adult about to return inside a lot more, or especially if you have school-age children, now is the time to find someone who is eligible to get them their booster. You believe it takes two to three weeks for that booster to be effective in the hive. We’re about two to three weeks away from the start of school. This is an excellent time to do so, to educate parents and students about symptoms. Have them boosted. While you’re back-to-school shopping, pick up a couple of antigen tests. That’s not a bad idea.
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