FAQs: MPV (Formerly called Monkeypox Virus)

Symptoms can appear between 5 to 21 days after exposure, and can include:

• An unusual rash or sores, which often start on the face or mouth then spreads to other parts of the body, including your genitals, butt, or inside your vagina
• Fever
• Headache, muscle aches, and back ache
• Swollen lymph nodes, including in your throat, armpits, and groin
• Chills
• Exhaustion (fatigue)

The rash or sores typically come after the other symptoms listed above, but that is not always the case. Someone can be contagious as soon as any of the above symptoms start. Symptoms can last up to 4 weeks with most people recovering from mild illness within that time.

Learn more information about MPV on the Building Healthy Online Communities (BHOC) website: https://bhocpartners.org/sexual-health-info/mpx/

Building Healthy Online Communities (BHOC) has developed a list of suggestions to keep yourself and your sex partners as safe as possible based on available data about how MPV may be spreading in our community. This includes getting vaccinated, talking with your sex partners, and periodically checking for symptoms. 

Learn more information about MPV on the BHOC website: https://bhocpartners.org/sexual-health-info/mpx/

You can also watch this brief video from the CDC on what all sexually-active people should know about MPV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf2x62i1_c8&t=3s

Find information, fact sheets, and more on the CDC website here: https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/prevention/sexual-health.html

You can also find current information and a vaccine locator on the Building Healthy Online Communities (BHOC) website: https://bhocpartners.org/sexual-health-info/mpx/

There are effective vaccines available for MPV. Find your closest vaccine location at MPOXVaxMap.org, and make sure to get both doses for the most protection.

To use the locator, simply enter your zip code to see nearby locations providing MPV vaccines.