Updated: 28/03/2023
Victoria Harbour Medical Centre is now an approved and accredited Mpox vaccine (JYNNEOS® vaccine) provider.
Appointments required. We are not a Mpox walk-in vaccination site.
Mpox (monkeypox) is a viral infection that spreads through close physical contact (including sex).
Anyone can get Mpox, but right now it’s largely affecting gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men.
Symptoms can include a rash, fever, chills, headache and muscle aches. Mpox isn’t usually life threatening but it can often be painful, with symptoms lasting for several weeks.
The Mpox vaccine (JYNNEOS® vaccine) provides excellent protection against Mpox infection and is available free-of-charge for specific priority groups in Victoria.
The 2-dose Mpox vaccine offers long-term immunity.
Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and your community.
Book in with our accredited Mpox vaccine GPs Dr Damien Polioudakis, Dr Tim Johnston or Dr Christopher Kearney to discuss your vaccination eligibility.
Click here for information about Mpox vaccine availability and access to eligible population groups.
Frequently asked questions
- Mpox is a disease caused by infection with the Mpox virus
- Since May 2022 there has been a multi-country outbreak of Mpox which has mostly impacted men who have sex with men
- In Victoria the risk of local transmission linked to international travel remains
- Vaccination can protect against Mpox and is available for eligible people
- Mpox can be spread from person-to-person through skin-to-skin contact, contact with contaminated surfaces or objects, and respiratory droplets
- While the current outbreak has disproportionately impacted men who have sex with men, anyone who has been in close and usually prolonged contact with someone with Mpox is at risk
In Victoria, Mpox vaccine (JYNNEOS® vaccine) is available free-of-charge for specific priority groups:
- All sexually active gay and bisexual men (cis and trans)
- Sexual partners of the above
- Sex workers
- Immunisation providers who are administering the ACAM2000™ smallpox vaccine
- Laboratory workers who analyse specimens from Mpox cases
- Vaccination may also be considered for healthcare workers at higher risk of exposure to patients with Mpox, including primary care, sexual health clinics, hospital staff and others, based on local risk assessments
The Mpox vaccines is available at no charge to eligible people regardless of their Medicare status.
Whilst the vaccine is free of charge, consultation fees with our GP or Nurse may apply.
Speak to our medical centre staff to verify any consultation related fees.
The Mpox vaccine (JYNNEOS® vaccine) is an injection preferably administered into the upper arm.
Two doses are required for optimal protection.
There needs to be a minimum of 28 days between doses.
The Mpox vaccine takes approximately 14 days before it is effective.
Side effects can occur but are usually mild and do not last long. Common side effects include pain where you received the injection, redness, swelling, hardening, or itch; muscle aches; headache; fatigue; nausea; chills; and fever.
More information about the Mpox vaccine is available here.
Anyone categorised by public health authorities as a high-risk contact of someone with Mpox should get the vaccine. This is called post-exposure preventive vaccination (PEPV).
Speak to your local public health unit, sexual health centre, GP or healthcare professional about PEPV Mpox vaccine access if you have been told this could apply to you.
PEPV Mpox vaccine access requires an urgent review with a doctor, preferably within 4 days.
Book an urgent Telehealth appointment with our accredited Mpox vaccine GPs Dr Damien Polioudakis, Dr Tim Johnston or Dr Christopher Kearney to discuss you PEPV vaccination eligibility.
The Mpox vaccines is available at no charge to eligible people regardless of their Medicare status.
Whilst the vaccine is free of charge, consultation fees with our GP or Nurse may apply.
Speak to our medical centre staff to verify any consultation related fees.
Symptoms of Mpox can include:
- viral symptoms (fever/chills, sore throat, muscle aches, exhaustion, backache)
- a rash – blisters or pimples
- swollen lymph nodes
However, this outbreak has been defined by a rash that varies in appearance from blisters or pimples to ulcers and is often more limited in distribution to the genital or anal areas with sometimes no other symptoms. Some cases present with urethritis or proctitis (presenting with pain on urinating, or rectal pain, or bloody stools, and diarrhoea) and there may be no visible rash on the skin.
Mpox may be spread from person-to-person through skin-to-skin contact, contact with contaminated items or surfaces, and respiratory droplets.
People with Mpox are infectious from the time that they develop their first symptoms (which may be a fever or a rash) and until rash lesions crust, dry or fall off.
Mpox illness typically lasts for 2−4 weeks and is mild.
Most people infected with Mpox will not require antiviral treatment. However, those requiring antiviral treatment for Mpox should have it initiated in consultation with an infectious diseases physician and/or a sexual health physician involved in specialist case management.
If you are travelling overseas and are sexually active whilst travelling, or if you attend large parties or other places where sex or intimate contact or other skin-to-skin contact occurs, Mpox vaccination is recommended 4-6 weeks before departure.
If you have recently returned from overseas and were sexually active whilst travelling or attended large parties where sex or intimate or other skin-to-skin contact occurred, we advise you watch for symptoms. If you develop symptoms, you should isolate away from others and seek medical attention.
The Mpox vaccines is available at no charge to eligible people regardless of their Medicare status.
Whilst the vaccine is free of charge, consultation fees with our GP or Nurse may apply.
Speak to our medical centre staff to verify any consultation related fees.
Click here for other Mpox vaccination clinics in Victoria.
- Isolate from others, stay home, and don’t have sex
- Don’t attend events or venues if you feel unwell or have rashes or sores
- Call your GP or sexual health clinic and seek urgent medical care
- Wear a mask when you visit the GP or health care facility
- Cover up any lesions, rashes or sores
Seek medical help urgently if you think you’ve been exposed to or have symptoms of Mpox.
If you suspect you have Mpox first call the medical centre and advise our reception team so appropriate triage and waiting room isolation precautions can be implemented before you are seen one of our accredited Mpox GPs.
