ASU Health Services is offering the JYNNEOS monkeypox vaccine to eligible students, according to a message sent to students Monday from Aaron Krasnow, director of ASU Health and Counseling Services, and Mario Islas, ASU Health Services medical director.
The University is offering the JYNNEOS vaccine, approved in August by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent monkeypox and smallpox. The vaccine will be given in a two-dose series recommended to be taken 28 days apart.
Students can schedule appointments with ASU Health Services through the myhealth.asu.edu portal or by calling 480-965-3349. Students will need to complete eligibility and health screening questions to determine if they can receive the vaccine.
ASU is following CDC and Maricopa County Department of Public Health criteria for prioritization, according to the Monday message.
The CDC states those who have been identified as having close contact to someone with monkeypox or have learned one of their sex partners in the last two weeks has been diagnosed with monkeypox should get vaccinated.
Men, transgender or gender-diverse people who have had sex with other men in the last two weeks are also recommended to receive the vaccine by the CDC if they have had sex with multiple partners, had sex at a commercial venue or had sex in an area where monkeypox is spreading.
"The Arizona Department of Health Services is allocating vaccines to local health jurisdictions ... It appears there's more vaccine availability now, and likely why they are making it available to more health jurisdictions," an ASU spokesperson said Tuesday over email.
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Those who have been exposed should seek a vaccine ideally within four days, according to the CDC. Signs and symptoms of monkeypox can be found on the CDC website. Those with monkeypox may get a rash near the genitals or on their hands and feet. Other symptoms can include fever, headache and respiratory problems.
The CDC has reported 24,203 monkeypox cases nationwide as of Monday and Arizona currently has 426 identified cases.
The ASU spokesperson did not say if there were any positive known monkeypox cases in the ASU community.
Edited by Jasmine Kabiri, Wyatt Myskow and Piper Hansen.
Reach the reporter at alrami13@asu.edu and follow @byandrearamirez on Twitter.
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Andrea Ramirez is a part-time reporter at The State Press. She has previously worked for The State Press for Spring ‘23.
