Mpox (Monkeypox)
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Fact sheet - Health conditions directory
Fact sheet (PDF 109 kB) Information for people with mpox
Fact sheet (PDF 102 kB) Information for contacts of mpox
Mpox (previously called monkeypox) is an infection caused by a virus belonging to the same family as smallpox viruses.
Mpox has historically occurred mainly in Central and West Africa, but since May 2022, there has been a global increase in mpox infections caused by the clade IIb strain, including in Australia. Since 2023, there has been an outbreak of a new clade Ib strain of mpox in Central and Eastern Africa. This strain has not yet been seen in Australia.
Mpox is mainly spread from person to person through very close or intimate contact with someone infected with mpox. People most at risk in Australia are gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men, and their partners.
Public health management guidelines
Read Communicable Disease Network Australia Guidelines
Read Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations: Mpox - Interim guideline in conjunction with the above CDNA guideline.
Resources for health professionals
Queensland Health - mpox (monkeypox) vaccination clinic finder
Australian Department of Health mpox - Information about mpox, poster and fact sheets
Public Health Laboratory Network - Guidance on mpox patient referral, specimen collection and test requesting
ATAGI - Clinical guidance on the use of vaccines for the prevention of mpox in 2024 (PDF 217 kB)
Notification
Pathology laboratories
Notification resources
- List of all Pathological, clinical and provisional diagnosis notifiable conditions
- List of Public Health Unit contacts
- Notifiable conditions report for Queensland doctors/clinicians (PHA S70) or person in charge of a Hospital (PHA S71) (PDF, 77kB) - if faxing notification, follow up by phone.
Enhanced surveillance for public health units
- Case report form (PDF, 428kB) - used by public health units to collect and manage more detailed information for enhanced case surveillance.