Individuals attending mpox vaccine-only visits at a sexually transmitted infection clinic were more likely to be new patients with high socioeconomic status and identify as White than those vaccinated during non-mpox-related visits, and a small number received HIV preexposure prophylaxis or testing following vaccination, representing a potential missed opportunity for HIV prevention.
Patients attending mpox vaccine-only visits had different demographic characteristics compared to those vaccinated during non-mpox-related visits.
A small number of individuals who received mpox vaccination subsequently received HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) or HIV testing.
The type of clinic visit (mpox vaccine-only versus non-mpox-related) was associated with differences in patient characteristics relevant to healthcare equity.
Mpox vaccine-only visits at a sexual health clinic represented a potential opportunity to link patients to HIV prevention services that was largely not realized.
This research examined patients who came to an urban sexual health clinic specifically for mpox (monkeypox) vaccination and compared them to patients who received mpox vaccination as part of a broader clinic visit for other reasons. The study found that people who came solely for mpox vaccination tended to be new to the clinic, had higher socioeconomic status, and were more likely to identify as White, compared to those vaccinated during other types of visits. This suggests that the mpox vaccine rollout may have reached a somewhat different — and more socioeconomically privileged — population than the clinic's usual patient base. The study also found that very few of the people who got mpox vaccinations went on to receive HIV prevention services such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) or HIV testing at the clinic. Since mpox and HIV share overlapping at-risk populations and transmission networks, the authors suggest that vaccination visits could have been used as an opportunity to offer these additional prevention tools, but this largely did not happen. This research suggests that sexual health clinics offering mpox vaccination could do more to integrate HIV prevention services into those visits, potentially reaching people who might not otherwise engage with HIV prevention. It also highlights potential disparities in who accessed mpox vaccination through specialized clinics, which could inform more equitable outreach strategies in future public health responses.
Shah P, Germain C, Ard K, Parker R, Bassett I, Jarolimova J. (2026). Visit Types and Linkage to HIV Prevention Among Individuals Seeking Mpox Vaccination in an Urban Specialized Sexual Health Clinic.. Sexually transmitted diseases. https://doi.org/10.1097/OLQ.0000000000002222