Mpox

8/30/22: PPNNE health centers in Vermont currently have a limited supply of Mpox vaccine (formerly called Monkeypox) on hand.  Please 866-476-1321 to book an appointment and we'll tell you which health center closest to you has the vaccine in stock. Appointments are required. This service is not bookable online. Patients in Maine and New Hampshire should visit their local Department of Health and Human Services to find vaccine centers near you.  

Who can get vaccinated?

• The current Vermont Department of Health guidance says that anyone with a known or potential Mpox exposure in the last 14 days should receive the vaccine. Gay, bisexual or other men and trans people who have sex with men or other people with a penis who had or expect to have more than 1 sexual partner, should also receive the vaccine. Certain health care and laboratory personnel whose jobs regularly put them at high risk of exposure to the virus, such as performing testing or caring for multiple people infected with Mpox, are also eligible. 

What is Mpox?

• A rare disease caused by Mpox virus.
• Can make you sick including a rash or sores (pox), often with an earlier flu-like illness.
• Can spread to anyone through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact.

What are the symptoms?

• Rash or sores, sometimes located on or near the genitalia, but sometimes on face, hands, feet, chest.
• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle aches and backache
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Chills
• Exhaustion

Is Mpox a sexually transmitted infection (STI)?

• Scientists are still gathering information to determine whether it is transmitted through semen or vaginal fluids. The most important thing for people to know right now is that the virus can spread through any type of close or extended face-to-face contact — for example, the type of face-to-face contact you might naturally have when living with or caring for someone who has Mpox. This can also include skin to skin contact such as during kissing or sex, but that is not the only way the virus spreads. Transmission is not based on a person’s gender or sexual orientation. Anyone who comes in close contact with Mpox can get the disease.

Why is PPNNE calling it Mpox?

• Because the name ‘Monkeypox’ itself is stigmatizing, we are choosing to refer to it whenever possible as Mpox. Planned Parenthood is committed to ensuring people have the medically accurate information and education they need to lead safe and healthy lives, free from shame or judgment.