What You Should Do
If you think you have developed monkeypox (if you have symptoms), please talk to your healthcare provider or contact 877-PA-HEALTH. Providers can help ensure you are tested if appropriate, and if necessary, receive treatment for monkeypox. If you test positive you will need to isolate (avoid contact with others) until the rash heals.
If you have been exposed to someone who has monkeypox, you may need to receive the vaccine, although not everyone will need a monkeypox vaccine.
How to Get a Monkeypox Vaccine in Pennsylvania
If you think you have been exposed, or if you have participated in activities that may have put you at risk of exposure, please contact your healthcare provider, your local health department, or 877-PA-HEALTH to help you evaluate your risk and tell you where to get a monkeypox vaccine in Pennsylvania.
What the Department is Doing
Earlier this year, the Department of Health sprang into action to address monkeypox through the collaborative efforts of many departmental bureaus including communicable diseases, laboratories, emergency preparedness and response, epidemiology and community health systems.
The Department of Health has provided multiple updates to healthcare providers across the commonwealth to help them understand the virus and be vigilant in assessing individuals with symptoms that might be consistent with a monkeypox diagnosis. Healthcare providers have also been instructed how to collect specimens necessary to get lab testing done quickly and how to access the vaccine supply from anywhere in the state.
The Department of Health is receiving a limited supply of vaccine from the Federal Strategic National Stockpile. These vaccines are being made available to public health departments and clinics that are seeing high volumes of individuals who may be at high risk for monkeypox.
Learn More
For more information on monkeypox, the Pennsylvania Department of Health has a monkeypox FAQ sheet and the CDC has several resources available.
Healthcare providers can access the latest Health Alert Network notifications (HAN) on monkeypox (MPX) here: 2022 Health Alerts, Advisories and Updates.