Monkeypox, also known as Mpox, is a rare disease that has been known since 1958 in monkeys and since 1970 in humans in African countries. However, since May 2022, cases of the disease have appeared in Europe and the Americas. As of April 4, 2023, almost 87,000 cases have been confirmed, most of which are in North and South America and Europe. The first Mpox case in Ukraine was confirmed on September 15, 2022.
Monkeypox is transmitted from person to person through direct physical contact with infectious rashes, scabs, or bodily fluids of an infected person. This can include close contact, touching, kissing, and sex. Men are more susceptible to infection, as over 96% of cases are in men. In particular, among cases with known data on sexual orientation, 84.1% are related to gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM). Therefore, vaccination against monkeypox is being carried out in many countries. For example, in the US, 1,210,296 doses of the vaccine have already been distributed.
The NGO Alliance.Global cooperates with the Center for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and provides access to the monkeypox vaccination procedure. Vaccination is an important tool in preventing the spread of Mpox in Ukraine. The vaccine is free. For the best protection, two doses of the vaccine are needed within a month.
Our regional coordinator, a social worker for the NGO “Alliance.Global” in Kharkiv and co-chair of the National LGBTI Consortium, Vasyl Malikov, was one of the first to get vaccinated. He reported that the procedure was very quick and the vaccination did not cause any side effects.
If you are interested in getting vaccinated against monkeypox, please contact the social workers of “Alliance.Global” for additional information about the procedure and its availability.
