MPOX (Previously Monkeypox) - Latest Guidance



MPOX (Previously Monkeypox) Vaccination

Please continue to check this page regularly as we will update it with information - Latest update 16/04/2023

Vaccine appointments are available at all our clinics, if no online slots are available at your chosen axess clinic please contact your local clinic directly by phone as we are able to offer vaccination as part of a routine sexual health appointment.

Second vaccine doses - We are now able to issue second vaccine doses to complete the vaccination course. The second vaccine dose can be given at 8 weeks after the first dose or at any point after that. If you are due to see us for a routine appointment within the next 3 months please do not book a separate vaccine appointment, you will receive your second vaccination at your planned appointment.

The vaccine programme will be ending in the summer.

To get MPOX vaccination you will need to have had:

  • Your first dose by 16th June 2023
  • our second dose (completed your vaccination course) by 31st July

FOR VACCINE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA : CLICK HERE

Please CLICK HERE to read about the vaccine before attending any booked appointment

To book please contact your local axess clinic on 0300 323 1300 or book online below


Online Booking - CLICK HERE TO BOOK

Liverpool: Please contact the clinic by phone / attend axess walk-in clinics at Royal Liverpool or City Centre Beat / Book Online

Knowsley: Please contact the clinic by phone

Warrington: Please contact the clinic by phone

Halton: Please contact the clinic by phone

East Cheshire services: Please contact the clinic by phone

Other Cheshire and Merseyside Areas - Please contact your preferred clinic via phone


MPOX (Monkeypox) Symptoms & Testing

MPOX (MONKEYPOX) has recently been declared a global emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO) after cases spread to more than 70 countries. There have been a number of confirmed cases of MPOX in the UK. Most of these cases are in England particularly London and the South East, we have however seen cases in the North West and in Liverpool & Cheshire.

MPOX is usually a mild self-limiting illness, spread by very close contact with someone with MPOX. Most people recover within a few weeks.

Although MPOX can affect anyone, the majority of those cases are currently among gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men. Monkeypox is transmitted through close contact, so is likely being passed on during sex rather than sexual transmission.

Everyone is being asked to be aware of the MPOX symptoms, but it’s important gay and bisexual men are alert as currently this is the group most affected.

Initial symptoms of MPOX include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen glands, chills and exhaustion. New unexpected or unusual spots, ulcers and blisters can develop anywhere on the body, including the face and other parts of the body including the hands, abdomen and genitals.

The spots can change and goes through different stages. They can look like chickenpox, anogenital herpes or syphilis, before finally forming a scab, which later falls off. Some people have only had one or a few spots.

If you have new unexpected or unexplained spots, ulcers or blisters anywhere on your body (including the face and/or genitals) or any of the other symptoms outlined below, then contact the axess sexual health service by phone (0300 323 1300) or call 111 or your GP for advice.