HAVE A SHOT SPOT?

ASK DR. D

ARE YOU ONE of the 1 million-plus people HAS YOUR MPOX VACCINATION LEFT AN UNCOMFORTABLE RED SPOT? DR. DEMETRE DASKALAKIS, AMERICA’S FOREMOST EXPERT OF MPOX, HAS ANSWERS. who received a mpox (monkeypox) vaccine? If so, you may be breathing easier knowing that if you catch the disease — which the Centers for Disease BY NEAL BROVERMAN Control and Prevention continues to call a public health emergency — you will be subject to less extreme symptoms, which can include lesions and excruciating pain. But, if you are one of those 1 million+ who got vaccinated, you may also have experienced an itchy, uncomfortable spot where the shot was administered (typically on the forearm). As opposed to flu or COVID-19 shots, the site of the mpox injection can last weeks, barely fading or even getting more uncomfortable for days on end. Is this normal and why are vaccine reactions so di erent? We posed this question to legendary gay doctor, Demetre Daskalakis, who is President Biden’s mpox adviser and director of the Division of HIV/ AIDS Prevention in the National Center for HIV/ AIDS. Here’s what he said: “The intradermal [needle injection] vaccination approach is safe and e ective against the spread of mpox, and has allowed hundreds of thousands of Americans to receive their vaccine,” Daskalakis told Plus. “This route of administration has also enabled the United States to aggressively combat mpox, helping to lower cases by over 85 percent since the peak of the outbreak.” “The spot from the [injection site] of the vaccine can last for several weeks but resolves over time,” he added. “The itchiness can also last for a few weeks in some people but is no need for alarm. People who have keloid, a condition that results in thicker, raised scars should not get the intradermal vaccine to avoid more permanent marks and should opt for the subcutaneous route. To minimize the visibility of the spot, people can choose to get the vaccine on skin other than their forearm, such as on their upper back or shoulder that is covered with clothing.”

For more information on mpox, visit CDC.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox.