Mpox

Quick Links to Mpox Information

Mpox Resources

About Mpox

Mpox is a rare disease that is caused by infection with mpox virus. Mpox belongs to the same gruop of viruses that includes smallpox and cowpox. Mpox cases in humans in the U.S. have been linked to international travel as well as imported animals.

Symptoms

Mpox symptoms can include:

  • Fever and chills

    Fever and chills

  • Headache

    Headache

  • Muscle and backache

    Muscle aches and backache

  • Swollen lymph nodes

    Swollen lymph nodes

  • Exhaustion

    Exhaustion

Mpox also includes a rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus. See examples of mpox rash here.

The rash goes through different stages before healing completely. The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks. Sometimes, people get a rash first, followed by other symptoms. Others only experience the rash.

Spread

Mpox virus can spread:

  • When a person comes in contact with an infected animal
  • Through direct contact with body fluid or sores of an infected person
  • Through direct contact with contaminated materials, such as clothing or bedding
  • Through respiratory droplets during prolonged face-to-face contact with an infected person

What Should I Do If I Have Mpox?

Talk to a healthcare provider if you think you have mpox. Mpox can occur at the same time as other infections, like sexually transmitted infections. This includes gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, and HIV. You healthcare provider may also test and treat you for other infections.

How do I Isolate?

If you have mpox or mpox symptoms, isolate at home away from others.

  • Monkeypox rash
    • Isolate until your rash is fully healed (scabs fallen off and a fresh layer of skin forms).
    • Wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water.
  • Home
    • Stay in a separate room or area from other household members and pets.
    • Limit using shared household areas as much as possible.
    • Do not have visitors in your home during isolation.
  • Family and pets

      Avoid close contact with other people in your home.

      Avoid close contact with pets in your home.

      Close contact is being within 6 feet of someone with mpox.

  • Couch

      Avoid sharing items with other people in your home that could become contaminated (bedding, clothing, towels and wash cloths, drinking glasses, eating utensils, and others).

      Use coversheets, waterproof mattress covers, blankets, or tarps over any surface that cannot be washed (like upholstered furniture or porous surfaces).

  • Healthcare

      You can leave your home and sick room for emergency or necessary medical care.

      If you need to leave your home during isolation, cover any skin rash with bandages, long pants and long sleeves, or dress. Also wear a well-fitting mask.

  • Toilet

For more information about mpox isolation, visit Isolation and Prevention Practices for People with Mpox.

Contact a healthcare provider right away if:

  • You have blood in your urine.
  • You have difficulty urinating.
  • You are unable to retract your foreskin.
  • Your foreskin cannot return to a normal position after being retracted.
  • You are unable to pass a bowel movement.
  • You have blood in your stool.
  • You develop diarrhea.
  • You have pain that you cannot manage at home.

    U.S. CDC recommends vaccination against mpox if:

    • You had known or suspected exposure to someone with mpox
    • You had a sex partner in the past 2 weeks who was diagnosed with mpox
    • You are a gay, bisexual, or other man who has sex with men or a transgender, nonbinary, or gender-diverse person who in the past 6 months has had any of the following:
      • A new diagnosis of one or more sexually transmitted diseases (e.g., chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis)
      • More than one sex partner
    • You have had any of the following in the past 6 months:
      • Sex at a commercial sex venue (like a sex club or bathhouse)
      • Sex related to a large commercial event or in a geographic area (city or county for example) where mpox virus transmission is occurring
      • Sex in exchange for money or other items
    • You have a sex partner with any of the above risks
    • You anticipate experiencing any of the above scenarios
    • You have HIV or other causes of immune suppression and have had recent or anticipate future risk of mpox exposure from any of the above scenarios
    • You work in settings where you may be exposed to mpox:
      • You work with orthopoxviruses in a laboratory

    If you think you meet these criteria, contact one of the sites in the table below.

    Mpox Vaccine Locations in Maine
    County Healthcare Provider Address Phone Number to Schedule
    Androscoggin Maine Family Planning 179 Lisbon Street, Lewiston, ME 04240 (207) 922-3222
    Cumberland City of Portland STD Clinic 39 Forest Ave, Portland, ME 04101 (207) 756-8067
    Cumberland Greater Portland Health 100 Brickhill Ave, Suite 301, South Portland, ME 04106 (207) 874-2141
    Cumberland Greater Portland Health 180 Park Ave, Portland, ME 04102 (207) 874-2141
    Cumberland Greater Portland Health 295 Park Ave, Portland, ME 04102 (207) 874-2141
    Cumberland Greater Portland Health 63 Preble St, Portland, ME 04101 (207) 874-2141
    Cumberland Intermed Family Practice 100 Foden Road East, Suite 203, South Portland, ME 04106 (207) 874-1489
    Cumberland Intermed Internal Medicine 84 Marginal Way, Suite 800, Portland, ME 04101 (207) 523-8595
    Cumberland Intermed Yarmouth Family Practice 259 Main Street, Yarmouth, ME 04096 (207) 846-9013
    Kennebec Maine Family Planning 43 Gabriel Drive, Augusta, ME 04330 (207) 922-3222
    Oxford Sacopee Valley Health Center 70 Main Street, Porter, ME 04068 (207) 625-8126
    Penobscot Maine Family Planning 68 Mount Hope Ave, Bangor, ME 04401 (207) 922-3222
    Penobscot Northern Light Pharmacy - Westgate 917 Union Street, Suite 7, Bangor, ME 04401 (207) 973-6788 Appointments available Mondays. Schedule your appointment here

    To be fully vaccinated for mpox, you need to receive two vaccine doses about four weeks apart. You are considered fully vaccinated 14 days after your second vaccine. You will receive instructions on how to schedule your second vaccine appointment when you get your first shot.

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