Mpox Information and Resources

If you have questions or concerns about Mpox, symptoms consistent with Mpox, or may have had close contact with someone with Mpox, please use the “Request an appointment” button through the Health Services Portal to request to speak with a member of the Health Services team or call us at 518-580-5550.

Please refer to the following resources for the most up-to-date information:

• New York State Department of Health: Mpox in New York State
• Mpox information from the CDC
• Mpox information from the WHO

About Mpox According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Mpox is a rare viral infection caused by the Mpox virus, a virus in the same family as the virus that causes smallpox. The symptoms are most often mild.

Symptoms

Mpox symptoms usually start within 6-13 days of exposure, but can take up to 21 days to appear. Most people with Mpox will get a rash or sores that may be located on the hands, feet, chest, face, around the genitals, or inside the body including the mouth, vagina or anus. The rash can look like pimples or blisters and goes through several stages, including scabs, before healing. (See examples of Mpox rash on CDC website.)

Other symptoms of Mpox can include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle aches and backache
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Chills
• Fatigue
• Respiratory symptoms (sore throat, nasal congestion, cough)

These symptoms may occur before or after the onset of the characteristic rash or sores or may not occur at all. If a person develops flu-like symptoms with Mpox, they will typically develop a rash 1-4 days later.

The illness is usually mild, although the sores can be painful or itchy. Based on previous outbreaks of Mpox around the world, some groups may be at increased risk for more severe symptoms, including children under 8 years of age, pregnant people, and those with suppressed immune systems.

Transmission

Mpox can spread through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact, including:

• Direct contact with a Mpox rash or scabs
• Contact with respiratory secretions during prolonged face-to-face contact or during intimate physical contact. Please note that it does not linger in the air and is not thought to be transmitted during short periods of shared air space.

Infected individuals can spread Mpox to others from the time symptoms start until the rash has fully healed and a fresh layer of skin has formed. The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks.

Who is at risk for Mpox?

Anyone can get Mpox, regardless of gender identity and sexual orientation.  In the United States, Mpox has spread primarily through sexual contact. However, Mpox is not a sexually transmitted disease and sexual contact is only one of many ways the virus can spread. 

Evaluation and Testing

Health Services is partnering with the Saratoga County Department of Health to test, isolate and treat students with symptoms of Mpox and/or known exposure. Students will be evaluated in person by a clinician and anyone with skin lesions consistent with Mpox will be tested and moved into isolation to await test results, which currently take about 3-5 days to receive.

Vaccination

Anyone who identifies as at risk for mpox is eligible for the JYNNEOS vaccine.  

For detailed criteria of who is at risk, where and how to receive vaccination, see the New York State Department of Health website and CDC recommendations.