The most important facts about monkeypox vaccination

The vaccine is usually well tolerated.
A previous smallpox vaccination also protects against Mpox ("monkeypox").
People with HIV can also be vaccinated.

What you should know about Mpox vaccination?

The smallpox vaccine Imvanex (Jynneos in the USA), which can also be used to protect against Mpox ("monkeypox"), is licensed in Europe for people aged 18 and over. The vaccine does not cause disease in humans and cannot replicate in human cells.

More than 10 percent of those vaccinated experience headaches, nausea, muscle pain and reactions at the injection site. However, the vaccination reactions usually subside after a few days. Already about two weeks after the first vaccination dose, the risk of contracting the disease is significantly reduced. For basic immunisation, a second vaccination dose should then be given at intervals of at least four weeks and no more than two years.

If you have already been vaccinated against real smallpox in the past, one vaccination dose is usually sufficient as a booster. According to current knowledge, having been infected with Mpox provides protection against further infection for several years, and vaccination is then not necessary.

Vaccination considerably reduces the risk of infection and a severe course of the disease, but does not offer 100% protection. The RKI's information on Mpox vaccination (also available in Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish) contains all the important information on Mpox and vaccination. You can find it here.

Where to get vaccinated

Vaccination against Mpox is regulated differently in the individual federal states. Centrally maintained lists of Mpox vaccination centres are currently (06.12.2022) only available from the following Laender (all Laender have been requested):

Berlin: List from 16.11.22

NRW: List of 04.10.22

Saxony: List of 20 June 2022

Schleswig-Holstein: List of 30.06.22

Thuringia: List

Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide a list of currently vaccinating facilities for other federal states. Therefore, we recommend that you obtain information from an AIDS help centre, a public health office or an HIV specialist practice.