Mpox (Monkeypox) immunisation

Clinical guidance

• Refer to Mpox (monkeypox) for further information such as disease epidemiology, testing, notification, contact tracing management and more
• Assess risk levels associated with client health when vaccinating for post-exposure preventive vaccination (PEPV). Prior to vaccination, determine if contacts have developed any symptoms since the time of exposure. More information about infection prevention control can be found on Mpox (monkeypox) 
• Those who are at-risk and planning to attend festivals, events, or to travel to a country experiencing a significant mpox outbreak, should aim to start the 2 dose vaccination series 4–6 weeks prior
• The best time for eligible people to receive the mpox vaccine is before they are exposed to the virus
• A standard primary vaccination course of mpox vaccine requires 2 subcutaneous doses, each of 0.5 mL, given 4 weeks apart. Contact your local Public Health Unit if further advice is required
• Subcutaneous injection is the preferred route of administration
• Detailed clinical guidance is found on the Mpox chapter of the online Australian Immunisation Handbook (external site) and ATAGI interim statement on the use of vaccines for prevention of mpox in 2024 (external site).

Education requirements

Education requirements for WA Health professionals are outlined by the Communicable Disease Control Directorate (CDCD) of the WA Department of Health, to support providers with their understanding of the immunisation education needs according to their specific provider type.

All immunisation providers must work within their scope of practice and where relevant, the specific requirements in the Registered Nurse - Immunisation against mpox Structured Administration and Supply Arrangements requirements.

Reporting to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR)

Immunisation providers should report all vaccines administered to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR). For more information, refer to Immunisation provider information and resources (health.wa.gov.au).

Reporting an adverse event following immunisation (AEFI)

The WA Vaccine Safety Surveillance (WAVSS) system is the central reporting service in WA for significant adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) or vaccine administration errors (VAEs). Providers should report any severe or potentially significant AEFI and VAE via the WAVSS reporting system as soon as possible, at www.safevac.org.au. For more information refer to Adverse event following immunisation (AEFI) (health.wa.gov.au). 

All clinical incidents (including VAEs) requiring treatment occurring within a WA Health HSP must be reported via WAVSS and in accordance with Clinical Incident Management Policy MP 0122/19.

JYNNEOS® is the mpox vaccine used in Australia. This vaccine is available to order on the Onelink ordering platform (external site). Please be aware that the vaccine has a short expiry, so order limits have been put in place to prevent over ordering and subsequent wastage. Providers/services which see high numbers of the vaccine eligible cohort are exempt from this order limit. Whole cartons (boxes of 20 vials) are labelled with the vaccine manufacture’s expiry date which is based on frozen storage. Vaccines are thawed to +2 to +8oC in batches, to fulfil order requests. The date and time of thawing will be placed on a label adjacent to the frozen expiry and batch details. Vaccine is thawed in batches (not on order demand), and thawed expiry shelf life is up to 24 weeks. Do not refreeze the vaccine once thawed.

Orders of less than 20 vials will be repackaged by Onelink and re-labelled with the same details as received from the distributor, including batch number and manufacturer expiry date, and the revised expiry date and time, of the thawed product. If you receive an order without these relevant details, please contact vaccineorders@health.wa.gov.au.

Cold chain management

Refer to the National vaccine storage guidelines: Strive for 5 (external site) and Cold chain management for information and advice regarding cold chain management of the vaccine.

Recording and reporting disposal

Wastage must be recorded as soon as practicable. If the vaccine expires before being administered, please fill in the vaccine expiry form. For any other cold chain breach, immediately quarantine vaccines in the vaccine fridge and seek advice by filling in the Cold chain breach and vaccine wastage form (PDF 280KB) and submitting it to your local public health unit. For any sites within the metropolitan areas, use Cold chain breach and vaccine wastage form (RedCap) (external site).

If you have any questions or concerns about vaccine ordering, please email vaccineorders@health.wa.gov.au.