Texas does not have enough vaccine for everyone who wants a monkeypox vaccine.

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Austin tech worker Taylor Scott Harrell desperately tried to get the monkeypox vaccine before his vacation to avoid getting a painful, infectious skin rash on his next trip to Europe.

Anyone can be infected with the virus, but this has no known long-term chronic effects and rarely leads to hospitalization. But it is painful and debilitating — and as gay, Harrell is now part of a high-risk group of exposures.

And Harrell was trying to act aggressively, but was not eligible for the vaccine because there was no known exposure.

“I, thanks to the skimpy group Where i travel, I have the potential to recover from this illness, “Harrell said. “But I couldn’t get it, even though the government literally says I’m at greatest risk.”

Demand for monkeypox vaccines in Texas appears to be increasing as more and more cases of the virus are reported in large Texas cities. Clinics focused on LGBTQ health care say they receive daily calls from patients who are concerned about risk and want to get vaccinated.

The federal supply of recently approved monkeypox vaccines is limited, and more states are reporting confirmed cases. In Texas, health officials only allow doses to people with known exposure, but other high-count states are getting more doses than can be used for a wider range of high-risk recipients. increase.Texas officials say they were able to meet the demand for shots by previously exposed people

The virus is almost exclusively spread among men who have sex with men in both Texas and the world, but it is not considered a sexually transmitted disease and it is not the only one that can develop it. Chris Van Dusen said. Texas Health Department.

In fact, 20 years ago, monkeypox broke out in the United States almost exclusively on people who took care of infected pet prairie dogs.

“Nothing is unique to that population [of men who have sex with men] It makes them more sensitive, “Van Dusen said. “It’s the group it’s circulating right now. At least to some extent, it can extend beyond that.”

The difficulty of getting a vaccine in Texas frustrates Harrell. His neighbor was vaccinated by New York public health officials last month — the moment he got off the plane and headed for the Pride Parade at the airport — he was also unexposed.

His social media feed is full of people from other states talking about aggressive public programs to inoculate people who have sex and are at risk of exposure, he said. rice field.

“They say,’Come to get your shot.”Help me find the vaccine.’ I see it in my story every day. What’s that in Texas? I can’t even see it, “Harrell said. “There are clear channels established by cities on the East and West Coasts to make sure this vaccine is available. There are clearly mobilizations of this vaccine in these cities. And I am here. I haven’t seen it. “

Fast-growing global outbreak

Monkeypox spreads most easily through contact with lesions caused by the virus. This type of skin-to-skin contact occurs during sex, but it can occur in other situations as well. Harrell, who knows the four who tested positive, said he and his friends were wary of prolonged skin contact in social situations, even when gender was not relevant.

It may also pass through respiratory droplets while kissing. It can also shrink on contact with contaminated surfaces, bedding and clothing. Monkeypox is not considered a sexually transmitted disease and cannot be reliably prevented by condoms or abstinence. However, it is not an aerial illness and is difficult to spread to others by accidental contact.

However, it is spreading, with at least 110 cases confirmed in Texas and more than 2,100 cases nationwide. That number has grown exponentially every week since it first hit the United States in mid-May. California has more than 500 cases than any other state. According to the World Health Organization, there are about 14,000 cases worldwide, including five deaths.

Doctors say the process of identifying cases can be tedious and time-consuming, as clinics and doctors will not have access to in-hospital diagnostic tests for at least the next few months. Most in the health community believe that as federal health authorities strengthen their testing programs nationwide, cases in Texas have nearly tripled from a week ago and will begin to grow significantly.

DSHS has not launched a state-wide awareness campaign for the general public about the risks of monkeypox and how to prevent it. Instead, it relies more on local health networks to quickly and efficiently communicate information to people at high risk of contracting it, Van Dusen said.

They say that providers are working as hard as they can to combat the further spread of the virus, as there is no state-wide approach to the general awareness, testing and vaccination of high-risk people.

“Public education and vaccine availability are my two biggest concerns,” said Dee Jay Johannesen, CEO of the LGBT Health & Wellness Help Center in Fort Worth.

This week, the Austin Institute participated in a federal effort to strengthen the national test for monkeypox. Commercial lab CDC Chief Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is using it nationwide to help contain the virus.

With the activation of all five sites, along with the CDC’s national laboratory response network, the level of federal-sponsored testing jumped from 6,000 a week in June to over 80,000 a week. This has prevented the spread of the community, who and where according to Warensky, the disease has been hit hardest and the supply of both vaccination and treatment is limited, while vaccination and treatment are prioritized. It is said that it identifies the person who should be.

“The ability of commercial laboratories to test monkeypox is a key pillar in our comprehensive strategy to combat this disease,” Warensky said in a statement. “This not only improves testing capacity, but also makes it easier for healthcare providers and patients to access testing using the existing healthcare provider-to-laboratory network.”

Texas providers want easier access to their tests. This can take several days, as samples currently need to be tested offsite in a limited number of facilities and can delay treatment of exposed people.

However, there is also high demand for preventive vaccines, John said.

The Johannesen clinic, which serves approximately 3,000 LGBTQ patients, primarily in the North Texas region, identified 10 confirmed cases among the patients, he said, but it was a virus.

“We send patients information about it, and what they need to know about risk factors, because there are so many fears,” he said. “We receive multiple calls daily from people who request vaccines and have to explain to them the limited availability of vaccines nationwide, and more specifically in Texas.”

On the weekend of July 4, Harrell spent time with his friends. A friend later tested positive for the virus. That’s why Harrell finally qualified for the vaccine — the vaccine she received last week. He leaves town on Friday for a trip to Europe. So far, he hasn’t been tested, but he hasn’t had any symptoms.

When Harrell finally got the vaccine, he arrived at the clinic as soon as his dose was delivered in the cooler.

“If you ordered specifically on the day we booked and it was delivered when I got there, I think it’s a sign of supply,” he said.

Texas health officials, who treat a large number of high-risk patients, say the lack of vaccines that can be used as a widespread precaution is the biggest barrier to ultimately containing the virus.

“This is a major concern,” said Dr. Vandana Shrikanth, an infectious disease expert and medical director of Legacy Community Health, who also addresses the daily demands of vaccines. “There are many people at high risk and they are not protected.”

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