Mpox Vaccine, Information, & Resources

Mpox Vaccine

The state has made a limited amount of Mpox vaccine available to eligible individuals in Cerro Gordo County. The vaccine is only available for individuals who make an appointment on our website. CG Public Health only creates appointments if there is enough vaccine available. If there are no appointments available, we no longer have vaccines. Eligible individuals for the Mpox vaccine include:

• Individuals living with HIV who are at least 18 years of age.
• Gay, bisexual, other men who have sex with men (MSM), or transgender individuals who are at least 18 years of age.
• Partners of an individual who is gay, bisexual, a man who has sex with men (MSM), or who is a transgender person and is at least 18 years of age.
• Someone who has been present at a venue or event where a suspected, probable, or confirmed case of Mpox was identified and is at least 18 years of age.
• Someone who has had close contact with someone suspected, probable, or confirmed as having Mpox, and is at least 18 years of age.

If you meet this eligibility for the Mpox vaccine, please click the button below.

 

Why are gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men (MSM) and their partners identified as at risk for Mpox at this time?

The risk of Mpox is not limited to people who are sexually active (straight or gay) or self-identify as MSM. Mpox is primarily spread through prolonged, close skin-to-skin contact. Intimate contact is one way this virus can easily spread to others.

When public health professionals investigate an emerging illness such as the Mpox virus, they often look at who is being impacted and the severity of the illness. From there, public health professionals determine the best course of action to control the spread of a virus and prevent further community transmission. In the case of Mpox, the first cases were identified among MSM in non-endemic countries. Once public health professionals identify a group or a geographic area where a virus is spreading, we first concentrate our prevention and control efforts where we are finding the virus. This is especially true when we have vaccines as a prevention and control strategy and that vaccine is in limited supply. This is why we are starting our vaccination efforts for Mpox with the MSM community.

This is an ongoing and very fluid situation. It is very possible we may identify cases among other groups of individuals and/or in the broader community. Vaccine eligibility will shift based on the transmission of the virus and severity of illness.

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Mpox is a viral infection that can spread through skin-to-skin contact, body fluids, Mpox sores, or shared items (such as clothing and bedding) that have been contaminated with fluids or sores of a person with Mpox. The virus can also be spread through respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact, or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling, or sex. Mpox is not generally considered a sexually transmitted infection, but it can be transmitted during intimate contact and sex by skin-to-skin and other intimate contacts, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

People with Mpox sometimes develop a flu-like illness with fever, fatigue, and enlarged lymph nodes followed by a rash. In other instances, people just develop a rash with or without swollen lymph nodes, which can occur on the genitals and/or around the anus. People usually develop Mpox 7 to 14 days (and up to 21 days) after being exposed.

CG Public Health encourages the following individuals to call and seek guidance from their medical provider:

• Recently traveled to an area where Mpox cases have been reported and you have symptoms of Mpox especially if you have a rash or lesions. You can find a list of the countries where Mpox has been reported on the CDC website
• People who have symptoms of Mpox, particularly the characteristic rash or lesions
• Contact with a confirmed or suspected Mpox case

Reduce your risk of getting or spreading Mpox by:

• Avoid close, skin-to-skin contact including kissing people who have a rash, sores, or confirmed Mpox.
• Do not handle, touch or shake the bedding, towels, or clothing of a person with rash, sores, or confirmed Mpox.
• Do not share the eating utensils or cups of a person with Mpox.
• Washing your hands often.
• Covering your coughs and sneezes.
• Cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces and objects.