You may be able to get this vaccine if you have a higher risk of being exposed to mpox.
Risk factors
You may have a higher risk if you identify as part of the men who have sex with men (MSM) community or have had or are planning to have sexual contact with someone who identifies as MSM, and 1 of the following applies to you:
- You or your sexual partner are planning to have more than 1 sexual partner or have had more than 1 sexual partner in the last 90 days.
- You are planning to have sexual or skin-to-skin contact at a venue such as a bath house, sex club, or sex party, or you have had sexual contact at this type of venue in the last 90 days.
- You have had a sexually transmitted infection in the last year.
You may also have a higher risk if:
- You are a sex worker.
- You went to or worked at a venue where people have sexual or skin-to-skin contact (such as a bath house, sex club, or sex party) in the last 90 days.
- You work in a research lab and have direct contact with the orthopoxvirus as part of your work.
You should also get this vaccine if you had close contact with someone who has mpox. It is best to get this vaccine within 4 days of close contact, but you can get it up to 14 days after. Once your symptoms start, you can no longer get the vaccine.
Call Health Link at 811 to find out if you should get this vaccine.
Under age 18 years
Talk to your healthcare provider before getting this vaccine if you are under age 18 years. Mpox vaccine is licensed for people age 18 years or older. However, vaccine experts support using mpox vaccine for people of any age who are at high risk of being exposed to mpox or have had close contact with someone who has mpox. If you get the vaccine and are under age 18 years, this is called “off-label use.”
There is limited information on the use of mpox vaccine in children. Studies done with similar vaccines show there were no safety concerns for children under age 18 years.