Mpox

Anyone *can* get #Mpox, but current data show that gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men with multiple sexual partners are at higher risk of having contact with someone with Mpox.

Keep an eye out for any of the symptoms & let’s keep each other safe.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/monkeypox/ 

❗ Check yourself for #Mpox symptoms, like unusual rashes or spots

📞 Might have symptoms? Stay home & call 111 or sexual health clinic

📲 If you hook up with someone new, get their details

Latest Mpox (formerly Monkeypox) information -Updated 29th December 2022

We are currently offering Mpox vaccine to eligible people from most of our sexual health sites, mainly by appointment but also opportunistically as required.

Clinics run in the following sites:

Basingstoke (Crown Heights) Tuesdays 9am-13.50pm

Portsmouth (St Marys Community campus) Thursdays 9am-12pm and Fridays 10.30am-12.30pm

Southampton (Royal South Hants Hospital) Sundays 9am-13.50pm

Aldershot & Isle of Wight (IOW, St Mary's) offer opportunistic vaccination (whilst people are attending their appointments).

To book an appointment, please call SPA on 0300 300 2016 and they will be happy to help arrange a time for you to attend. We are still offering 1^st doses as well as 2^nd doses.

Why do I have to wait for my smallpox (MVA) vaccination (publishing.service.gov.uk)

The UKHSA, the organisation in England responsible for public health and infectious diseases, has been monitoring the number of cases and the spread of Mpox since it was first detected in the UK. Anyone can get Mpox and although a increasing number of people have been diagnosed with it recently, the risk remains low.

In England, most cases have been seen in gay and bisexual men who have sex with men (MSM). While Mpox is not restricted to this group, it is more common, so it’s particularly important to be aware of symptoms and risks if you are a man who has sex with other men.

Though not an STI, Mpox can spread from person to person through touching clothing, bedding or towels used by someone with the monkeypox rash, touching Mpox skin blisters or scabs, or through the coughs or sneezes of a person with the Mpox rash, including during sex.

Common signs of Mpox infection include fever, headache, muscle aches, exhaustion, swollen lymph nodes, and development of a new rash, isolated spots, ulcers or blisters on the skin.

You’re extremely unlikely to have Mpox if you have not been in close contact with someone who has Mpox or has Mpox symptoms and if you have not recently travelled to west or central Africa.

Transmission rates have stabilised but UKHSA continue to encourage eligible people to attend for vaccination to help ensure transmission rates continue to fall.  UKHSA have advised that the pre-exposure vaccination programme is the best way to prevent rates increasing again.

The NHS will need to prioritise vaccination to make best use of limited current supply so may not be able to offer a vaccination to everyone who wants one as a preventative measure. A second dose is being offered around two months later to provide longer lasting protection. If you have received a smallpox vaccine as a child, you will not require a 2^nd dose.

We continue to contact people who are a priority for vaccination and continue to work with other services to make sure those who may be eligible know how to get one. However, you do not need to wait to be contacted to access the vaccine, please call to book an appointment if you are eligible.

If you have any genital symptoms of Mpox or have come into close sexual contact with someone who has Mpox you should limit contact with others and contact your local sexual health clinic for advice and to arrange testing.

If you have non genital symptoms, you should contact your GP or NHS111 for advice