Mpox Vaccine

The mpox pre-exposure vaccine should be offered to people with the highest potential for exposure to mpox such as:

• People working in settings where you may be exposed to mpox:
  
  • Work with orthopoxviruses in a laboratory
  • Part of an orthopoxvirus and health care worker response team
• People had known or suspected exposure to someone with mpox
• People who had a sex partner in the past 2 weeks who was diagnosed with mpox

Download What is JYNNEOS Vaccine for Mpox and Who is Eligible?

Visit Locations for a list of county health departments in Alabama.

The JYNNEOS vaccine is a two-dose vaccine series. The two doses are administered via intradermally or subcutaneously four weeks apart for maximum effectiveness. Someone who receives the JYNNEOS vaccine is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving their second dose. The JYNNEOS vaccine does not cause smallpox, mpox, or any other disease. Even after getting vaccinated, it is important to continue to take steps to protect yourself from getting sick with mpox. Avoid close, skin-to-skin contact, including intimate contact, with someone who has mpox.

Most people who receive the JYNNEOS vaccine will have only minor reactions like pain, redness, swelling, and itching at the injection site. Some might experience muscle pain, headache, tiredness, nausea, chills, and fever.

Previous vaccination against smallpox may provide limited protection since both diseases are from the same family of viruses. People vaccinated against smallpox, in the past, will have some protection against mpox. People below the 40-50 age group are unlikely to have been inoculated against smallpox since vaccination ended in the world by 1980. Some people received the smallpox vaccine after 9/11 if they were first responders or medical personnel.

Persons who were previously vaccinated against smallpox, but have a reason to be vaccinated in this outbreak, due to mpox exposure or higher risk factors, should receive two doses of Jynneos. Persons administering Jynneos do not need to take the vaccine unless they have higher risk factors.