Those wanting to get a dose of the Monkeypox, or Mpox, vaccine can now access it in the Ballarat region.
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Ballarat Community Health, UFS Medical (Doveton Street Ballarat), Springs Medical in Daylesford, East Grampians Health Ararat and Lister House Horsham are all providing the service.
Grampians Health said the primary preventative vaccination was given in two doses, 28 days apart and it took 14 days before the vaccine was effective.
High-risk individuals travelling to a country with a significant outbreak need to get a vaccination four to six weeks before departure.
"Mpox can be spread from person to person through skin-to-skin contact, contact with contaminated surfaces or objects as well as respiratory droplets," Grampians Public Health Unit Deputy Director Ivan Pang said.
"Public health practitioners have seen cases of Mpox on an international scale since May."
The World Health Organisation (WHO) began referring to Monkeypox as Mpox to help reduce stigma around the name.
"The decision comes after the name Monkeypox - so named (in 1970) after first being identified in monkeys (in 1958) - was criticized for adding to racial and sexual stigmatization," the WHO said in a statement on its website.
"The name Mpox was chosen after public consultation was launched in early 2022, opening out a process usually reserved for a closed door-technical committee.
"Poxy McPoxface, TRUMP-22 and Mpox were among some of the names submitted.
"The name Mpox was submitted by men's health organization Rezo.
"Its director said at the time that he hoped the removal of monkey imagery helped people take the health emergency seriously.
"We hope the chosen name Mpox will minimize any ongoing negative impact of the current name."
The WHO will use booth names simultaneously until the old name is phased out in November.
The viral infection has undergone a large global outbreak in the last 12 months, spreading to countries outside west and central Africa.
The WHO said it was "spreading significantly among gay and bisexual men".
Several clinics in Melbourne are also offering the vaccination.
For details call the Grampians Public Health Unit on 1300 988 909 or visit the Grampians Health Website.
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