ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Reported cases of monkeypox continue to rise in Florida, with the state having 373 instances since the start of the year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The ongoing outbreak, one that since has been declared a global emergency, can be stopped with testing and vaccinations, U.S. health officials said last week.
But health departments in several major U.S. cities say they don't have enough shots to meet demand, The Associated Press reports. In the Tampa Bay area, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Health in Pasco County said the agency understands that it's "frustrating" that not enough vaccines are available to anyone who wants one.
"Doses are allocated by the federal government, and they are distributed on the federal government’s timeline. DOH requests every dose we are allocated," said spokesperson Christina Louv, in part.
To date, data from the Department of Health and Human Services shows Florida has been allotted 109,283 doses of Bavarian Nordic's JYNNEOS vaccine. About 36,800 doses have been shipped to the state.
JYNNEOS is an FDA-licensed vaccine for the prevention of monkeypox and smallpox — a disease similar to monkeypox. Although the majority of monkeypox infections have occurred in men who have sex with men, health officials warn anyone can get the virus. At least two children have been confirmed to have contracted monkeypox, CBS News reports.
The virus spreads mainly through skin-to-skin contact, though there's also the risk of it possibly spreading through linens used by someone who has monkeypox, according to the CDC. Symptoms of the virus include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills and more. Most people with monkeypox get a rash, and it may be painful.