EDINBURG – State health officials have begun shipping a limited supply of monkeypox vaccine so that the four Rio Grande Valley counties can vaccinate high-risk communities. This is just a preventative measure; there have been no confirmed cases of monkeypox in the Rio Grande Valley.
Vaccines could arrive as soon as this week. Additional doses of vaccine are being made available to Cameron, Willacy and Starr counties, a news release said.
Health officials from all four counties have decided to start making vaccines available to high-risk populations beginning early next week. Additional information on where high-risk residents can get the shots will be provided at a later date, a news release said.
Currently, about 780 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in other parts of Texas. Health officials warn that anyone can get monkeypox if directly exposed to someone with the virus.
In most cases, monkeypox is not considered fatal, but the pustules that form from the virus can be painful and disfiguring.
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