Mpox (monkeypox) vaccinations
Vaccination appointments
Mpox vaccinations are available for free at Caulfield, Clayton and Peninsula campuses (for eligible groups). To book, go to our medical appointments page.
You can also get an mpox vaccination at local public health units and some sexual health clinics. You can find a list of local public health unit’s on the Department of Health’s website and a list of mpox clinics on Thorne Harbour’s website.
Who can receive an mpox vaccine
Mpox vaccines are available for eligible people only. You can get the vaccine if you’re a high-risk close contact of an mpox case (usually within four days of exposure). It’s also offered as a preventative vaccines to the following groups:
- sexually active gay and bisexual men (cis and trans)
- sexual partners of sexually active gay and bisexual men (cis and trans)
- sex workers
- immunisation providers who are administering the ACAM2000™ smallpox vaccine
- laboratory workers who analyse specimens from mpox cases.
You can keep up to date with the eligibility criteria on the Department of Health’s dedicated mpox page.
What is Mpox?
Mpox is a disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. Since May 2022, there has been an outbreak of mpox across more than 100 countries, including Australia.
Although the disease itself usually causes minor illness, some people with more moderate or severe illness can experience significant pain and may need to be admitted to hospital.
Mpox is spread through prolonged physical or skin-to-skin contact with someone who has mpox. In Australia, the current outbreak is mostly impacting men who have sex with men.
Symptoms
At the start of the illness, symptoms can include fever, headache, muscle aches, low energy and swollen lymph nodes. Symptoms may then include a rash, which can be painful and can affect any part of the body.
What to do if you have symptoms
If you develop symptoms of mpox, you should isolate from others at home and contact your local GP or sexual health clinic for testing. Let them know ahead of time that you’re attending and wear a mask to your appointment. You can contact one of the nurses on campus at the University Health Services for advice (during our opening hours: 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday) or call Nurse on Call on 1300 60 60 24 (available 24 hours a day).
More information
You can find a list of mobile/pop-up mpox clinics run by the South East Public Health Unit (SEPHU) on their mpox website.
For information on mpox, control measures and vaccination eligibility, see:
- Victorian Department of Health: mpox (monkeypox)
- Better Health Channel: mpox (monkeypox)
- Thorne Harbour Health: mpox (Monkeypox)
Contact for enquiries
If you have any questions, or you’re worried about side effects:
- call the University Health Service on 03 9905 3175 (between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday) or email nurse.help@monash.edu (for non-urgent matters – allow up to three business days for a response)
- call Nurse on Call on 1300 60 60 24 (available 24 hours a day).