Mpox: Be in the know!
Healthy skin is always in!
What is Mpox? Mpox is a rare disease caused by infection with the mpox virus. Mpox virus is part of the same family of viruses as variola virus, the virus that causes smallpox. Mpox symptoms are similar to smallpox symptoms, but milder, and Mpox is rarely fatal. Mpox is not related to chickenpox.
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Mpox virus can make you sick and cause disease, including a rash or sores (pox), often with an earlier flu-like illness. Mpox can spread to anyone through close personal, often skin-to-skin contact.
Mpox Symptoms
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Mpox can include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion.
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Rash appears within 1 to 3 days (sometimes longer) after fever, often beginning on the face then spreading to other parts of the body.
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Illness usually lasts 2 to 4 weeks.
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Transmission:
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Mpox can spread through: Direct contact with Mpox rash, sores or scabs.
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Contact with objects, clothing, bedding, towels, or surfaces used by someone with mpox
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Respiratory droplets or oral fluids from a person with mpox
Mpox can spread from the time symptoms start until all sores have healed, which can take several weeks. Some people can spread Mpox to others from 1 to 4 days before their symptoms appear.
Mpox can spread from the time symptoms start until all sores have healed, which can take several weeks. Some people can spread Mpox to others from 1 to 4 days before their symptoms appear.
Mpox Treatment and prevention.
Risk to the general public is low.
Seek medical care immediately if you are concerned you have Mpox. Avoid close contact with sick people, including people with skin lesions or genital lesions. Adapted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There are no treatments specifically for Mpox. Since the viruses that cause Mpox and smallpox are similar, antiviral drugs developed to protect against smallpox may be used to treat mpox effectively.
The preferred vaccine to prevent mpox is JYNNEOS.
Find out more: nj.gov/health/monkeypox/vaccines.
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High priority groups
People who are eligible for vaccination and who also have a condition that may increase their risk for severe disease should be considered high priority for vaccination,. This includes those who:
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Have HIV or other causes of a weakened immune system
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Have a history of atopic dermatitis or eczema
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Who can get vaccinated?
The vaccine for Mpox virus is called JYNNEOS. In New Jersey, the following people may be eligible for vaccination:
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People who have known or suspected exposure to someone with mpox in the past two weeks
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People who had a sex partner in the past two weeks who was diagnosed with Mpox
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Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, transgender or nonbinary people who in the past 6 months have had:
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A new diagnosis of one or more sexually transmitted diseases (i.e., chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis)
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More than one sex partner
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People who have had any of the following in the past 6 months:
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Sex at a commercial sex venue
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Sex in association with a large public event in a geographic area where mpox transmission is occurring
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Sex in exchange for money or other items
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Sexual partners of people with any of the above risks
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People who anticipate experiencing any of the above risks
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People who work in settings where they may be exposed to Mpox
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People who work with orthopoxviruses in a laboratory
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