Health department launches site to pre-register for monkeypox vaccine

BALTIMORE -- The Maryland Department of Health on Thursday launched a website allowing residents to pre-register for the monkeypox vaccine.

Enrollees will be notified when vaccine appointments become available.

"This pre-registration system is another step to ensure that Marylanders can access the tools to stay protected from human monkeypox," said MDH Secretary Dennis Schrader. "Keeping impacted residents healthy and safe remain our top priorities."

The site is meant for residents who have had close contact with a person who has the virus or members of at-risk communities who have had an exposure within the last two weeks.

As of Thursday, Maryland has received 14,539 vials of JYNNEOS vaccine from the federal government, the health department said.

A total of 19,465 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed across the U.S., with 519 in Maryland, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The virus is spreading mostly through close, intimate contact with someone who has monkeypox, according to the CDC.

Symptoms of the virus, which are similar to those of smallpox but milder by comparison, include fever, headache, muscle aches and exhaustion, according to the CDC. Infected individuals are known to develop a rash on the face and other parts of the body.