Monkeypox vaccine appointments have opened again to eligible Oldhamers.

Vaccination doses had run out in August, with further doses set to be delivered this month.

Appointments can be booked for Tuesday, September 20, between 10am and 7pm.

Appointment booking is available on an online form.

Vaccinations will be given at The Orange Rooms, at 193 Old Street, Ashton Under Lyne, OL6 7SR.

The clinic is not a walk-in, and appointments must have been booked in advance.

Those eligible will be given a dose of the Jynneos smallpox vaccine to help protect them against monkeypox infection.

According to the UK Health Security Agency, this vaccine is much safer than the smallpox vaccine used widely in the UK into the 1970s.

Up to five times as many will be able to get the jab, as clinicians have been approved to give people 0.1ml dose of the smallpox Jynneos vaccine, instead of the 0.5ml dose that is typically given.

The approach, known as ‘fractional dosing’, has been commonly used in other worldwide outbreaks when vaccine supplies are constrained and is considered safe.

Monkeypox rates remain low throughout Greater Manchester when compared to some other parts of the country, such as London.

Between one and four cases have been detected in the boroughs of Oldham, Tameside, Stockport, Wigan, and Bolton.

Trafford has 12 cases detected. Manchester has 60, up from 58 last week. Salford has 39, up from 36.

Bury has eight cases.

Nationwide, 3,320 cases have been detected in England, with just under 70 per cent being detected in London.

The eligibility requirements

The vaccine will be available to gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, as well as trans women and non-binary people, at the highest risk of getting monkeypox.

For example, if people have multiple partners, participate in group sex or attend ‘sex on premises’ venues, people with a recent bacterial sexually transmitted infection and those eligible for PrEP (the preventative drug for HIV transmission), people who have had recent close contact with someone infected with monkeypox, and healthcare workers caring for and due to start caring for a patient with the virus.

People will be eligible if they fit these requirements and have previously used one of the following providers in Greater Manchester.

Unlike some previous walk-in clinics, those who last used the service more than 12 months ago won’t be ineligible.

Sexual health services

HCRG Care Group

  • Oldham Integrated Care Centre
  • Glodwick Primary Care Centre
  • Royton Health and Wellbeing Centre
  • Failsworth Primary Care Centre (all Oldham)
  • Nye Bevan House
  • Croft Shifa Health Centre
  • Middleton Health Centre
  • Heywood Clinic (all Rochdale)
  • Bury Townside Primary Care Centre
  • Radcliffe Primary Care Centre

Locala

  • The Choices Centre (Stockport)
  • The Orange Rooms (Tameside)

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust

  • Bolton Centre for Sexual and Reproductive Health
  • Shine Sexual Health Service (Salford)

The Northern

  • Hathersage Centre
  • North Manchester General Hospital
  • Withington Community Hospital
  • Trafford Sexual Health Service (Trafford and Urmston clinics)

Also:

  • Spectrum Community Health CIC (Wigan)

General Practice (GPs)

  • The Docs, Manchester

How monkeypox is transmitted

  • Any close physical contact with monkeypox blisters or scabs (including during sexual contact, kissing, cuddling, or holding hands).
  • Touching clothing, bedding or towels used by someone with monkeypox.
  • The coughs or sneezes of a person with monkeypox when they're close to you.

Monkeypox signs and symptoms

According to the NHS, it can take between five and 21 days for symptoms to appear after you first get infected with monkeypox.

Symptoms include:

  • a high temperature
  • a headache
  • muscle aches
  • backache
  • swollen glands
  • shivering (chills)
  • exhaustion
  • joint pain

A rash, which is sometimes confused with chickenpox, usually appears one to five days after the first symptoms, often beginning on the face before spreading to other parts of the body. This can include the mouth, genitals, and anus.

How to protect yourself

  • Clean your hands regularly with soap and water, or alcohol-based hand sanitiser.
  • Know the symptoms if you’re sexually active, especially with new partners. Talk to partners about their sexual health and remember symptoms can take three weeks to develop, so keep checking yourself.
  • Swap contact details if hooking up with someone new.
  • If you have symptoms, take a break from all intimate contact (including kissing) until you’ve seen a doctor and had the all-clear. If you’re recovering from monkeypox infection, remember to use condoms for 12 weeks as a precaution.

What to do if you think you might have it or could get it

Those who think they have monkeypox or have come into contact with someone who has monkeypox should isolate and can find information on Oldham’s Sexual Health Hub or call the Sexual Health Hub on 0300 303 8565. Information is also available on the NHS website.

The UK Health Security Agency has confirmed that there will be no further doses delivered until late in September, so all vaccines are being given from existing stock.