Please click above to schedule an appointment for a first or second Jynneos monkeypox (mpox) vaccine dose offered at our county health departments and other locations through Georgia’s new online centralized registration portal. You can scroll below to see if you are currently eligible.
Monkeypox (Mpox) Vaccine Availability
For a monkeypox (mpox) vaccine appointment, please click the button above or call the Vaccine Scheduling Resource Line at (888) 457-0186.
Appointments are required and are only available to individuals who are 18 and older and are currently considered at high risk for the illness. Vaccines are free, and there is no residency requirement. You can download the consent form and bring it with you to the appointment: Jynneos Vaccine Consent Form | Español
Vaccination Events
| County | Day of the week | Hours of operation | Registration link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carroll County Health Department 1004 Newnan Road Carrollton, GA 30117 | Mondays* & Tuesdays *Except for Holidays | 12:30-4:00pm | click to register |
| Fayette County 140 West Stonewall Avenue, Suite 107 Fayetteville, GA 30214 | Wednesdays | 8:30 - 11:30am | click to register |
| Spalding County Health Department 1007 Memorial Drive Griffin, Georgia 30224 | Fridays *Except for Holidays | 1:00 - 3:00pm | click to register |
| Troup County Health Department 900 Dallis Street, Suite A LaGrange GA 30240 | Fridays *Except for Holidays | 8:00 - 10:00am | click to register |
| Henry County Health Department 135 Henry Pkwy, McDonough, GA 30253 | Thursdays | 1:00-4:00pm | click to register |
| Upson County Health Department 314 E Lee St, Thomaston, GA 30286 | Wednesdays | 9:00am - 3:00pm | click to register |
Individuals currently at high risk
Eligibility includes persons age 18 and older, of any gender identity or sexual orientation, who:
- Have had multiple or anonymous sex partners with men who have sex with men in the last 14 days.
- Have had skin-to-skin or intimate contact (e.g., kissing, hugging) with persons who have had a rash or are suspected of having monkeypox in the last 14 days.
- Have had skin-to-skin or intimate contact (e.g., kissing, hugging) with persons at large venues or events in the past 14 days.
- Have engaged in commercial and/or transactional sex in the past 14 days (e.g., sex in exchange for money, shelter, food, and other goods or needs).
- Are HIV positive, or on HIV PrEP, or diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the last 90 days.
If you meet the criteria, please click the button above for our vaccine appointment portal.
What is monkeypox (mpox)?
Monkeypox (mpox) is a disease caused by the monkeypox (mpox) virus and spread through contact with the virus from an infected animal, infected person or virus-contaminated objects and materials. Direct contact with sores, scabs or body fluids of an infected person is the primary method of spread but it also may spread by respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face or intimate contact with an infected person. Most people have mild illness and recover without treatment, However, the rash can be painful.
Mpox is not considered a sexually transmitted disease, but it is often transmitted through close, sustained physical contact, which can include sexual contact.
At this time, data suggest that gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men make up the majority of cases in the current mpox outbreak. However, anyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, who has been in close, personal contact with someone who has monkeypox is at risk.
About Monkeypox (Mpox) | CDC
How monkeypox (mpox) can spread
- Monkeypox (mpox) can spread through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact with an infected person who has symptoms.
- Brief interactions not involving physical contact are not high risk.
- Mpox is currently not considered a sexually transmitted infection. It is important to know that anyone can get mpox, and the virus does not spread exclusively through any one gender, sexual, or social network.
- The virus can spread through:
- direct contact with rash, scabs or body fluids of an infected person;
- respiratory droplets (saliva) during direct and prolonged face-to-face contact with an infected person; or during intimate, physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling, or sex; and
- contact with bedding, clothing or other objects that have been contaminated by body fluids or sores of an infected person. Though this is another way mpox spreads, it has not been identified to be a common mode of transmission in this outbreak or for mpox in general.
The risk of contracting mpox is based on exposure – an individual must be exposed to enough virus to become infected. What is currently known about mpox transmission indicates that sharing bedding or towels with someone who is infected with mpox would carry more risk than passing encounters with money or a door handle or other environmental surfaces.
Most settings where people congregate such as workplaces, schools, grocery stores, gas station, or public transportation are not considered high risk settings for mpox transmission.
A person with mpox can spread it to others from the time symptoms start until the rash has fully healed and a fresh layer of skin has formed. The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks.
Mpox Guidance and Resources | Georgia DPH
How Mpox Spreads | CDC
Protect yourself and others
In addition to getting a vaccine if you are considered high risk, here are some ways you can protect yourself from getting mpox:
- Avoid close skin-to-skin contact with anyone who has a rash that looks like mpox.
- Have conversations with partners before close contact.
- Do not touch the rash or scabs of person with mpox.
- Do not kiss, hug, cuddle or have intimate contact with someone with mpox.
- Do not share food, beverages, dishes, cups/glasses or eating utensils with someone who has mpox.
- Do not handle or touch bedding, towels or clothing used or worn by someone with mpox.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Consider the events you attend and how close in proximity you are to others at those events. If there is close, prolonged skin-to-skin contact, the risk of spreading mpox is higher.
Protect Yourself and Others | CDC
Signs and symptoms
The incubation period (time from infection to symptoms) for monkeypox (mpox) is usually 7−14 days but can range from 5−21 days. The illness begins with:
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Backache
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Chills
- Exhaustion
Within 1 to 3 days (sometimes longer) after the appearance of fever, the patient develops a rash, often beginning on the face then spreading to other parts of the body.
Lesions progress through the following stages before falling off:
- Macules
- Papules
- Vesicles
- Pustules
- Scabs
The illness typically lasts for 2−4 weeks.
Signs and Symptoms | CDC
If you’ve been exposed or think you have mpox …
If you’ve been exposed to mpox or are currently experiencing signs and symptoms, particularly red lesions or a pimple-like rash that appears on your face or other parts of your body:
- First and foremost, isolate at home away from others.
- Then, please call (no walk-ins, please) your local health department. You’ll be asked for your contact information so a nurse can call you back by the end of the day..Because of the time involved in the screening process, walk-ins will be asked to call us to provide their contact information so a nurse can return the call by the end of the day.
- Based on your symptoms and history, the nurse may then need to consult an epidemiologist after your phone screening to determine if you need to be tested.
Isolation guidance for persons who are sick and have been told they have mpox or are suspected of having mpox: Home isolation guidance | Español
Testing
If it is determined you need to be tested, a healthcare professional will swab one to two lesions and send the specimens to a lab for testing. The test is a polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, much like those for Covid-19 that detect a piece of the virus’s genetic material.