Mpox (Formerly known as Monkeypox)

Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) is a rare viral infection, mainly found in parts of Central and East Africa. It’s related to the viruses that cause smallpox and cowpox.

Fever, headache, muscle and back pain
Swollen glands, chills, exhaustion, joint pain
A rash appears 1–5 days after the first symptoms and can affect any part of the body

If you have symptoms, contact your local sexual health service by phone.

Who Can Get It?

The vaccine is offered to people at higher risk, including:

Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (especially those with multiple partners, attend group sex or sex-on-premises venues)
Staff at sex-on-premises venues
Trans and non-binary people, and some cis women who meet the risk criteria

Two doses, at least 28 days apart
A longer gap between doses gives longer-lasting protection
One dose already provides strong protection
It takes about 14 days after vaccination to build immunity
If you have had two doses of the vaccine already you do not need to be vaccinated again
If you have had one dose of the vaccine you can be offered a second dose. It does not matter how long ago the first dose was.

Available only through specialist sexual health services
Since the first vaccine programme when it was widely available it has only been offered in London and the Locala and Northern services in Greater Manchester
From August 2025, it is being rolled out at all specialist sexual health services.
Usually offered during routine appointments — check your local clinic’s website for details
Not all appointments (e.g. STI testing with a healthcare assistant) can include vaccination

Specialist clinics also offer vaccines to protect against certain STIs:

Hepatitis A: For gay, bi, and other men who have sex with men, and others at risk
Hepatitis B: For at-risk groups including gay, bi and other men who have sex with men, sex workers, people who inject drugs, and those with partners from regions where Hepatitis B is common
HPV (Human Papillomavirus): For gay, bi, and other men who have sex with men under 46; protects against cancer and wart causing strains
Gonorrhoea Vaccine: This vaccine will be offered to gay, bi and other men who have sex with men who are considered at higher risk of gonorrhoea. This includes people who have had a bacterial STI (like gonorrhoea or chlamydia) in the past 12 months or who report at least 5 sexual partners in the past 3 months.