Suffolk sponsors free mpox vaccine clinic on Fire Island Saturday

The Suffolk County Department of Health Services will offer free mpox vaccines on Saturday on Fire Island, as New York is seeing an increase of cases two years after an outbreak took hold largely among gay and bisexual men.

Northwell Health Physician Partners Immediate Care, 153 Doctors Walk in Cherry Grove, will provide the vaccine, a two-dose regimen called JYNNEOS, to those at risk from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Dr. Gregson Pigott, Suffolk County’s Health Commissioner. “We encourage all people who are at risk to protect themselves and their loved ones by getting two doses of the mpox vaccine.”

Last month, New York City had 258 probable and confirmed cases of the virus formerly known as monkeypox, up from 55 in 2023, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, which spanned through the week ending June 15. The rest of the state in the same period had roughly 30 cases this year, up from nine at the same time in 2023. The Nassau and Suffolk health departments both said they have not seen an uptick in mpox cases as of June 28.

Dr. Cynthia Friedman, Suffolk's director of public health, said the clinic is a way of trying to prevent an anticipated rise in mpox cases on Long Island this summer.  

“We do have a lot of city residents, and people from other states as well, who have summer homes on Fire Island or rent homes on Fire Island for the summer,” Friedman said. “New York City is not the only jurisdiction that's seen an uptick in mpox, so we're trying to stay ahead of it.”

The clinic will accept walk-ins as well as appointments. Those who cannot visit the clinic but wish to get the vaccine can also make an appointment at one of Suffolk County’s many mainland clinics.

If one does contract mpox, they should try to isolate themselves as much as possible and avoid sharing things like towels or sheets with other people, Friedman said. They should also notify anyone in their close contact so other can obtain a vaccine.

The vaccine is recommended up to four days after exposure, as then it will be most effective Friedman said, but can be given up to 14 days after exposure.

JYNNEOS is also not 100% effective, but it can lessen the severity of symptoms if contracted, she said. 

For the best protection against mpox, both doses of the vaccine are recommended, and the second dose should be given four weeks after the first.

Those who cannot get the second dose on time should get it as soon as possible to complete the series. Maximum protection is reached two weeks after the second dose.

Mpox is a viral illness related to the virus that causes smallpox and is characterized by fever, blistering rash and swollen lymph nodes, the department said. It can be spread through close contact with an animal or person infected with mpox and through contact with contaminated materials.

The virus, which had long been endemic to central and West Africa, broke out in the United States in the early summer of 2022, and 30,000 cases were reported that year, most of them spread through sexual contact between gay and bisexual men. About 40 people died, The Associated Press reported.

To see if you are at risk, visit the health department’s website.