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Mpox (formerly monkeypox)

Updated November 28, 2022

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Vaccine

Mpox vaccine is currently available to:

  • Any sexually active man, or transgender or nonbinary person, who has sex with men
  • Anyone who, in the past 6 months, has had sex in a commercial sex venue or in association with a large, public event

If you meet the above criteria, you may call 385-468-SHOT (7468) to schedule a vaccine appointment.

Mpox vaccine is FREE.

If we identify cases in other populations, we will update this space with revised vaccine eligibility.

Second Doses

For full protection, a second dose of mpox vaccine is due 28 days (or later) after your first dose. To schedule your second dose, call 385-468-SHOT (7468).

Prevention

  • Mpox, formerly known as "monkeypox," is most often spread through close, personal, skin-to-skin contact, including:
    • Oral, anal, or vaginal sex or touching the genital area of someone with mpox.
    • Touching the mpox rash, scabs, or body fluids from someone with mpox.
    • Hugging, massaging, or kissing someone with mpox.
  • Less often, mpox may also be spread by:
    • Touching fabrics (clothing, bedding, or towels) that have been used by someone with mpox.
    • Prolonged face-to-face contact with someone with mpox.
    • Contact with respiratory secretions from someone with mpox.
  • Because mpox can be spread via skin-to-skin contact with an infected person, it is important to avoid close, intimate, or sexual contact with anyone who has flu-like symptoms or a rash.
  • Condoms will not prevent the spread of mpox.
  • People are not known to be contagious until they have symptoms.
A close-up of a person's foot. A close-up of a person's foot.

 

Symptoms

If you have symptoms of mpox—particularly a new, unexplained rash—please see your healthcare provider; the commercial laboratories they use for diagnosing other infections (ARUP, Labcorp, Quest) can test for orthopoxvirus infection.

If you are uninsured and have symptoms, call 385-468-4194 to discuss testing options. SLCoHD assists with mpox testing only for uninsured individuals.

  • Symptoms of mpox usually begin within 21 days after exposure.
  • Symptoms of mpox can include:
    • Fever
    • Headache
    • Muscle aches and backache
    • Swollen lymph nodes
    • Chills
    • Exhaustion
    • Respiratory symptoms (e.g. sore throat, nasal congestion, or cough)
    • A rash that may be located on or near the genitals or anus but could also be on other areas like the hands, feet, chest, face, or mouth.
      • The rash will go through several stages, including scabs, before healing.
      • The rash can look like pimples or blisters and may be painful or itchy.
  • You may experience all or only a few symptoms.
    • Sometimes, people get a rash first, followed by other symptoms. Others only experience a rash.
    • Most people with mpox will get a rash.
    • Some people have developed a rash before (or without) other symptoms.
  • Symptoms usually lasts 2-4 weeks. People with symptoms should stay isolated the entire time they have symptoms.
  • The illness is over when all pustules have scabbed over and fallen off, and new skin is present.
  • People are contagious the entire time they have symptoms.
  • Most people recover fully with no treatment. People with severe illness or who are immunocompromised may receive antiviral medication with the approval of SLCoHD and the CDC.

FAQ

Mpox, formerly known as "monkeypox," is a disease caused by a virus first identified in animals. It occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa and is occasionally exported to other regions. Currently, the virus is circulating in western Europe, Australia, Canada, and the U.S.

Symptoms of mpox can include:

  • Fever
  • Headache
  • Muscle aches and backache
  • Swollen lymph nodes
  • Chills
  • Exhaustion
  • Respiratory symptoms (e.g. sore throat, nasal congestion, or cough)
  • A rash that may be located on or near the genitals or anus but could also be on other areas like the hands, feet, chest, face, or mouth.
    • The rash will go through several stages, including scabs, before healing.
    • The rash can look like pimples or blisters and may be painful or itchy.

You may experience all or only a few symptoms

  • Sometimes, people get a rash first, followed by other symptoms. Others only experience a rash.
  • Most people with monkeypox will get a rash.
  • Some people have developed a rash before (or without) other symptoms.

Mpox symptoms usually start within 3 weeks of exposure to the virus. If someone has flu-like symptoms, they will usually develop a rash 1-4 days later.

Mpox is most often spread through close, personal, skin-to-skin contact, including:

  • Oral, anal, or vaginal sex or touching the genital area of someone with mpox.
  • Touching the mpox rash, scabs, or body fluids from someone with mpox.
  • Hugging, massaging, or kissing someone with mpox.

Less often, mpox may also be spread by:

  • Touching fabrics (clothing, bedding, or towels) that have been used by someone with mpox.
  • Prolonged face-to-face contact with someone with mpox.
  • Contact with respiratory secretions from someone with mpox.

No. Mpox is transmitted primarily by skin-to-skin contact of any kind. So while it is often transmitted sexually, that is not the only way someone might catch it.

Symptoms usually appear 7 to 14 days after exposure but can range from 5 to 21 days. People with mpox are NOT contagious before they have symptoms.

A person with mpox is contagious as long as they have symptoms, including any lesions. They stop being contagious when all pox lesions scab over and fall off, and there is new skin underneath.

The illness typically lasts for 2 to 4 weeks. People with mpox can spread the virus the whole time they have symptoms. Once all the lesions have healed and scabs have fallen off, the person is no longer contagious.

A health care provider will swab any lesions for testing, and a laboratory will analyze the samples for the mpox virus.

Most people recover fully with no treatment. People with severe illness or who are immunocompromised may receive antiviral medication with the approval of SLCoHD and the CDC.

  • Get vaccinated! If you're at risk, you're eligible for the vaccine. Call 385-468-SHOT (7468) to make an appointment.
  • Avoid intimate, sexual, or skin-to-skin contact with anyone who has a rash.
  • Avoid close, prolonged contact with anyone with flu-like symptoms.
  • People ill with flu-like symptoms should isolate in a room or separate area from other family members, if possible.

If you were in close contact with someone confirmed to have mpox while the person with mpox had symptoms, you may qualify for post-exposure vaccine (known as "PEP"). Please contact us at 385-468-4100 to be considered for PEP.

Regardless, you should monitor yourself for illness for 21 days and seek medical care if you develop symptoms. If symptoms develop, you should isolate at home except to receive medical care.

See your healthcare provider; the commercial laboratories they use for diagnosing other infections (ARUP and Labcorp) can test for orthopox virus infection.

If you do not have access to a healthcare provider, contact the SLCoHD STD Clinic at 385-468-4242.

SLCoHD and UDHHS have prioritized distribution of the state’s limited vaccine doses to the populations at greatest risk of transmission.

Anyone can catch mypox; viruses do not know or care who you are. But because we are not currently seeing the virus spread in the general community, and almost all current cases of mpox in SLCo have occurred in men who have sex with men, that is where our focus is—on the population experiencing cases and the population at the greatest risk of illness. If we see data that indicates we have a different population also experiencing cases, then public health will shift its efforts to also address the needs of that additional population.

The CDC reports that previous smallpox vaccination does provide some protection against mpox, but there is evidence that protection wanes over time and is not fully protective for life. There are people who received smallpox vaccine decades ago who have caught mpox in this outbreak. So, the CDC recommends people at risk for mpox in the current outbreak be vaccinated again.

People with lesions that cannot be easily covered should isolate in a room or separate area from other family members and pets, if possible.

People with mpox should not leave home except as required for follow-up medical care.

Cover skin lesions (long sleeves, pants), if possible. The person with mpox should wear a surgical mask. If this is not feasible, others in the home should consider wearing a mask.

People in the home of someone who has mpox should frequently and thoroughly wash their hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Avoid contact with any materials, such as bedding, towels, or clothing, that has been in contact with someone who has mpox. Soiled laundry should be washed often in warm water with standard laundry detergent.

Do not share dishes and other utensils. Soiled dishes should be washed in a dishwasher or by hand with soap and warm water.

Clean and disinfect surfaces with standard household products in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.