Mpox Vaccination

Anyone who identifies as at risk for mpox is eligible for the JYNNEOS vaccine. Visit the CDC's mpox vaccine finder or talk to a healthcare provider to find the nearest vaccine to you.

What is the JYNNEOS vaccine?

JYNNEOS is a vaccine licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a two-dose series for the prevention of mpox among adults ages 18 years and older, as well as authorized by the FDA for individuals under 18 at risk for mpox. If given before exposure or within 4 days of exposure, this vaccine may reduce the likelihood of infection, and within 14 days, it may reduce severity of symptoms.

The two vaccine doses are given 28 days apart, and New Yorkers are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose. People who get vaccinated should continue to take steps to protect themselves from infection by avoiding close, skin-to-skin contact, including intimate contact, with someone who has mpox.

Availability of the JYNNEOS vaccine:

Currently, anyone who falls under the criteria below, or may fall into these criteria in the future, is recommended to receive the vaccine, in accordance with CDC guidance:

  • Those with known or suspected exposure to someone with mpox.
  • Those with a sex partner in the previous two weeks who was diagnosed with mpox.
  • Those who identify as gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men, as well as transgender, nonbinary, or gender-diverse person who in the past six months has had any of the following:
    • A new diagnosis of one or more STIs (e.g., chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis).
    • More than one sex partner.
  • Those who have had any of the following in the past six months:
    • Sex at a commercial sex venue (e.g., sex club or bathhouse).
    • Sex related to a large commercial event or in a geographic area (e.g., city or country) where mpox transmission is occurring.
  • Those with a sex partner with any of the above risks.
  • Those who anticipate experiencing any of the above scenarios.
  • Persons living with HIV (PLWH) or other causes of immune suppression who had recent or anticipate future risk of mpox exposure from any of the above scenarios.
  • Those who work in settings where they may be exposed to mpox:
    • Those who work with orthopoxviruses in a laboratory.
    • Those who are part of an orthopoxvirus and health care worker response team.

In addition to the above criteria, New York State recommends that those who fall under the criteria below also receive the vaccine:

  • Those who engage in transactional sex.
  • Those who have or anticipate attending private or public sex parties.

For individuals who have recovered from mpox infection:

  • At this time, the CDC does not recommend that individuals who received a medical diagnosis of mpox during the current outbreak (since May 2022) receive the JYNNEOS vaccine.
  • However, these individuals may be eligible for vaccination:
    • Those who are unsure whether they had mpox and were never diagnosed.
    • Those who are immunocompromised and were diagnosed with mpox after receiving the first dose of JYNNEOS and never received their second dose.
  • These individuals should consult their healthcare provider to decide if vaccination is appropriate.

Note: If you previously completed the full two-dose vaccination series, there is no need to receive additional doses at this time.

Is the JYNNEOS vaccine effective at preventing mpox?

There are promising data on the effectiveness of the JYNNEOS vaccine at preventing mpox from last year's outbreak. However, no vaccine is 100 percent effective. We are aware of instances of mpox infection after vaccination, including a group of individuals in Chicago who were infected with mpox after being vaccinated. There is also evidence that vaccination may reduce the severity of MPOX infection if a person is infected later. Completion of the two-dose JYNNEOS vaccine series remains one of our most vital tools to protect against mpox.

Patients should be informed that healthy practices continue to be important, including being aware of mpox symptoms, avoiding any sexual activity and physical non-sexual contact when feeling sick, and having open conversations with partners about vaccination history and symptoms before engaging in sexual activity.

Please see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) mpox infection after vaccination webpage for more information.

Where can I get the JYNNEOS vaccine?

People identified by a local health department as exposed to a suspected or confirmed mpox case in the past 14 days should work directly with their health department and healthcare provider to discuss obtaining the JYNNEOS vaccine.

Those who are not identified as contacts of a suspected or confirmed case can access the JYNNEOS vaccine by:

Where can I learn more about the JYNNEOS vaccine?

New Yorkers can learn more about the JYNNEOS vaccine, including the risks and benefits, here. To better understand the protective benefits of the JYNNEOS vaccine in the current outbreak U.S., public health agencies are collecting data to study any side effects, the extent of protection, and whether the way a person was infected makes any difference in how well the vaccine protects them.

Resources: