MPX (Monkeypox): What You Need to Know

With concerns mounting over the increase in cases of MPX in our state, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has partnered with the Center on Colfax to provide more information for our community on the transmission and symptoms of and vaccinations for MPX.

How Does MPX Spread?

MPX can spread in different ways. It can spread from person to person when someone who has MPX has close contact with someone else. Close contact can mean physical contact with a sick person’s sores, bumps or lesions or through prolonged, face-to-face interactions with someone who is sick. Close contact includes sexual contact. MPX can also spread through touching the bed linens or clothing of someone who is sick. Recent cases in the United States have been infected through person-to-person contact. Brief interactions without physical contact are unlikely to result in getting the virus.

What Are the Symptoms of MPX?

For some people, MPX can feel like the flu at first. Early symptoms can include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and exhaustion. Most people get a rash or skin bumps one to three days after they first start feeling sick. This rash usually starts on the face and then spreads to the arms and legs. Sometimes, the rash may start in the genital area. Some people don’t feel any symptoms before they get a rash. MPX can look like syphilis, herpes, blisters, or even acne.

How Do I Schedule a Vaccination Appointment?

Eligible Coloradans include:

Anyone (any sexual orientation or gender identity) who has had close physical contact with someone who has MPX in the last 14 days.

Anyone (any sexual orientation or gender identity) who:

• Has had multiple sexual partners in the last 14 days, or
• Has had sexual partners they did not previously know in the last 14 days, or
• Has had close physical contact with other people in a venue where anonymous or group sex may occur in the last 14 days, or
• Was diagnosed with gonorrhea or syphilis in the past three months, or
• Already uses or is eligible for HIV PrEP (medication to prevent HIV, e.g. Truvada or Descovy or Apretude), or
• Engages in commercial and/or transactional sex (e.g. sex in exchange for money, shelter, food, and other goods or needs)

Anyone (any sexual orientation or gender identity) identified by public health as a known high-risk contact of someone who has MPX.

CDPHE-hosted clinics can vaccinate eligible people aged 15 years and older. Parents and guardians of children younger than 15 years who may need to be vaccinated should contact their health care provider or local public health agency. Parental/guardian consent is required to administer the Jynneos vaccine to anyone under the age of 18 years. In addition to parental/guardian consent, minors aged 15 to 17 must also sign a formal agreement to receive the vaccine.

The Center on Colfax will be a designated vaccination facility Fridays through October 14, however advanced registration through CDPHE is required to receive a vaccination.

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