Monkeypox Facts

Monkeypox is a rare disease that can make you sick, including a rash, which may look like pimples or blisters, often with an earlier flu-like illness. Monkeypox can spread to anyone through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact. Anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has monkeypox is at risk, but early data suggest that gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men make up a high number of cases. Massachusetts Dept of Public Health – mass.gov/monkeypox

As of August 16, 2022, there have been 202 cases of Monkeypox reported in Massachusetts, including 7 cases in Worcester.  Monkeypox is treatable, and can be prevented with a vaccine.  In Central MA, the vaccination site is at Aids Project Worcester https://www.aidsprojectworcester.org/monkeypox-and-vaccines/

Additional information on Monkeypox, what it is, and how to protect yourself from it, can be found on the website of the Leicester Regional Public Health Coalition at https://tinyurl.com/2t39ue8c. The Town of Holden is a member of the Coalition.