The monkeypox (mpox) vaccine, Jynneos, has recently been given provisional approval in Aotearoa by Medsafe, which means it meets Medsafe's standards of efficacy, quality, and safety.
The mpox vaccine was previously available to those most at-risk of monkeypox but as an unapproved vaccine. You can read the Manatū Hauroa (Ministry of Health) news article on the vaccine's provisional approval here.
Provisional approval means we can now promote the mpox vaccine as a safe and effective preventative measure for those most at-risk of contracting monkeypox!
What is monkeypox?
Monkeypox is a virus similar to smallpox but less severe.
Check out the Burnett Foundation Aotearoa's information on monkeypox here.
Who is most at-risk of contracting monkeypox?
In Aotearoa NZ, the people who have been most affected by monkeypox so far are gay, bi, and other men who have sex with men (MSM), as well as trans and non-binary people who have sex with MSM.
As Burnett Foundation Aotearoa states, "Sex can make transmission easier because of skin-to-skin contact and the transfer of bodily fluids such as saliva or semen during sex. Skin lesions may not be obvious or may be in places where they are not visible initially, and therefore some people may not know they have mpox and may be infectious. There have also been some cases that are asymptomatic...GBM [gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men] are often closely connected through close sexual networks in a relatively small population. We also know that cases of mpox among GBM were successfully identified thanks to vigilance about sexual health – this is something our communities are great at."
The monkeypox vaccine is therefore currently free and available to:
Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM)
Trans and non-binary people who have sex with MSM
Anyone who is a close contact of someone who has been infected with mpox.
If I'm eligible, how do I get the vaccine?
At the moment the mpox vaccine is still available primarily through sexual health clinics.
In Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) you can contact the Cuba Street Clinic on 0800 188 881. Ask them for a monkeypox vaccine consultation and they'll talk you through the process from there.
We are currently unable to provide the monkeypox vaccine here at The Terrace Medical Centre.
