Three cases of mpox - formerly known as monkeypox - have been detected in NSW this week, health officials say. Login or signup to continue reading NSW Health asked "gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men to be on the lookout for symptoms of mpox ". "In NSW, there were 69 mpox cases between May 2022 and January 2024," a NSW Health statement said.
This included two cases in Hunter New England - one in 2023 and the other in 2022. This week's cases related to "current mpox outbreaks interstate, bringing the total number of mpox cases identified in NSW to 72". NSW Health executive director of health protection, Dr Jeremy McAnulty, urged men who have sex with men to be vigilant for symptoms of mpox.
"Please see your GP or visit a sexual health clinic should symptoms develop," Dr McAnulty said. "Mpox vaccine is recommended for all sexually active men who have sex with men, so get a vaccine if you haven't already been vaccinated. "It is important to note two doses of vaccine are required, so anyone who has only received one dose should get a second dose at least 28 days after the first.
" The mpox vaccine is free and those receiving it do not require a Medicare card. To find clinics offering the vaccination, visit the NSW Health website . The World Health Organisation renamed monkeypox as mpox in 2022, citing concerns that the original name of the animal disease could be considered discriminatory and racist.
The disease was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a .
