During the 2024 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), HIV.gov spoke with Dr. John Brooks, chief medical officer of CDC's Division of HIV Prevention, about what individuals need to know about mpox this spring, as LGBTQI+ Pride season is gearing up.

Two-Dose Mpox Vaccine Offers the Best Protection

As Dr. Brooks emphasized, the large mpox outbreak of 2022 has not recurred and cases are significantly down. However, CDC is still seeing some cases and small clusters of disease. In addition, a new clade—or type—of mpox is being seen in western and central Africa. This type can cause very severe illness. There have been no cases of this type of mpox reported in the United States at this time, but CDC is watching it closely. 

To protect themselves and prevent a new outbreak, people who are eligible for the mpox vaccine should get vaccinated with both doses of the two-dose JYNNEOS mpox vaccine. And, as Dr. Brooks explained, it’s important that people who have only gotten one dose of the vaccine, get the second one now. Two doses provide the best protection against mpox.

The two-dose vaccine is up to 86% effective against mpox and can protect against severe illness, hospitalization, and death for those who do get the disease. The vaccine is widely available through health care providers, clinics, and other locations. Use the HIV.gov locator to find an mpox vaccine near you.

Stay safe and healthy during this coming Pride season and get fully vaccinated with the two-dose vaccine.
Learn more about mpox.

Catch Up on More CROI Updates

HIV.gov has shared other interviews from CROI 2024 with federal HIV leaders, participating researchers, and community members. You can find all of them on HIV.gov’s social media channels and recapped here on the blog – use the “CROI” topic tag.

About CROI

More than 3,600 HIV and infectious disease researchers from 73 countries gathered in Denver and virtually from March 3-6 this year for CROI, an annual scientific meeting on the latest research that can help accelerate global progress in the response to HIV and other infectious diseases, including STIs and viral hepatitis. Over 1,000 summaries of original research were presented. Visit the conference websiteExit Disclaimer for more information. Session webcasts and more information will be published there for public access in early April.