The Department of Health and Human Services plans to give nearly 300,000 shots of monkeypox vaccine to areas with a high number of cases.

Monkeypox Virus

A clinical sample associated with a 2003 prairie dog outbreak has been obtained. The photo was taken by the Smith Collection/Gado.

Gado via Getty Images

In the next few weeks, 240,000 vaccine doses will be released, according to HHS.

If you have a suspected exposure to monkeypox, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you get a vaccine as well.

There were more than 300 monkeypox cases confirmed by the CDC as of Tuesday.

Health officials stress that the virus is not sexually transmitted and can be passed on to anyone if they have intimate contact with a man.

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The HHS Secretary said that they are doing everything they can to give vaccines to people who are high risk of contracting monkeypox.

What To Watch For

Around 1.6 million doses of Jynneos will be available by the end of the year, according to the HHS. There is a risk of serious side effects from the ACAM vaccine, which is an older vaccine used to treat smallpox. The Jynneos vaccine is a newer one.

Key Background

More than 4,700 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in at least 49 countries over the past few weeks, according to the CDC director. A skin rash can be caused by an infection, but is usually not fatal. A World Health Organization panel decided last weekend that the monkeypox outbreak is not yet a global health emergency, but its spread is cause for concern.

The World Health Organization says that Monkeypox isn't a global health emergency yet.

There's a lot to know about how monkeypox spreads and whether you should wear a mask.