First case of monkeypox identified in Middle Georgia, few vaccines available. Here’s more:

The first monkeypox case has appeared in Middle Georgia this week, according to the state health department’s North Central Health District.

The case was confirmed this week and is still the only case in the region so far, according to NCHD spokesperson Michael Hokanson. The department is monitoring cases on a regional basis right now, so it wasn’t specified what county the case occurred in.

Hokanson added that monkepox vaccines are in extremely limited supply in the region and the health department doesn’t have the capacity to mass distribute them.

Manufacturing and country-wide shipping issues have limited the supply of the vaccine. Middle Georgia’s supply also depends on the need-based distribution of the vaccine, which often puts larger cities and counties with higher case numbers first.

Hokanson said the vaccine is being administered to people who have been monitored to have close contact with someone who tested positive for monkeypox. The district works with people who test positive to obtain who came into close contact with them.

The arrival of the initial case in Middle Georgia comes less than a week after the WHO declared monkeypox an international public health emergency. U.S. officials have faced criticism for the country’s slow response, but maintain that the crisis can still be averted.

Over 99% of monkeypox cases have occurred in men, mostly those who have had sexual contact with other men, though anyone can contract the virus. Symptoms vary but can include fever, body aches, chills and fatigue. The U.S has ordered 5.5 million more doses of the vaccine to arrive in 2023.

This story was originally published July 29, 2022 at 2:21 PM with the headline "First case of monkeypox identified in Middle Georgia, few vaccines available. Here’s more:."