If you believe you have mpox symptoms (rash/lesions), please contact the Kansas City Health Department at (816) 513-6379 to determine if you qualify for testing through the State Public Health Lab (SPHL).

Sexual Health Clinic
2400 Troost Ave.
Suite 2000
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday
8:00 am - 11:00 am
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
(closed 12pm - 1pm for lunch)

Thursday
8:00 am - Noon
(closed in the afternoon)

To be tested through the SPHL, patients must meet certain criteria:  

• Contact with a person or persons with a similar appearing rash or with a person who was diagnosed with confirmed or probable mpox OR  
• Had close or intimate in-person contact with persons in a social network experiencing mpox infections. This includes meeting partners through an online website, digital app, or social event (a bar or party) OR  
• Traveled, within 21 days of illness onset outside the United States to a country with confirmed cases of mpox or where mpox is endemic OR  
• Had contact with a dead or live wild animal or exotic pet that is an African endemic species, or used a product derived from such animals (e.g., game meat, creams, lotions, powders, etc.)  

KC CARE, 3515 Broadway, is also testing for mpox.  Call them at 816-753-5144 to make an appointment. Cost is based on a sliding scale. 

If the patient does not meet the requirements for testing through the SPHL but still wants to be tested, they should contact a health care provider who will take a swab of their lesions and send to a commercial lab.

Please note, there may be costs. Please check with your insurance company to see if they will cover the lab's testing.

Commercial labs currently testing for mpox:

• Labcorp
• Quest
• Mayo Clinic
• Sonic Healthcare
• Aegis Sciences

If you prefer to receive your mpox vaccination at another location, here are some options:

KC CARE Health Center
3515 Broadway Blvd
816-753-5144

Vivent Health
4309 E. 50th Terr.
816-561-8784

University Health
2301 Holmes St.
816-404-2273

St Joseph Health Department
904 S. 10th St.
St. Joseph, MO
816-271-4725

Anyone can get mpox. It is spread through close contact with someone who has mpox symptoms. A majority of, but not all recent cases have involved men who are intimate with men. But anyone can get mpox.

Confirmed cases:

Kansas City: 56

Refer to CDC's U.S. Map & Case Count webpage for the latest updates.

Mpox can be spread from the time symptoms start until all sores and scabs are gone and a fresh layer of skin has formed. This can take several weeks.

Mpox usually spreads through close, personal contact, including:

• Direct contact with the rash, scabs, or body fluids
• Face-to-face contact for long periods of time (3 hours or more)
• Intimate physical contact, including:
  • Kissing
  • Hugging
  • Cuddling
  • Massaging
  • Oral, anal, or vaginal sex or touching

    Mpox can also be spread from:

• Things touched or used by someone with mpox, such as:
  • Objects
  • Clothing, bedding, or towels
  • Surfaces
  • Sex toys or fetish gear
• Pregnant people to their fetus through the placenta
• Infected animals through:
  • Scratches or bites
  • Eating or preparing infected meat

 Mpox could also look like this: 

Mpox symptoms usually start within 2 weeks of exposure to the virus.

• Key symptoms include rash, bumps, or blisters.
• These may appear anywhere on the body, including:
• Face
• Inside the mouth
• Hands
• Feet
• Chest
• Torso
• Genitals
• Anus
• This may look similar to syphilis, herpes, pimples, or other common skin rashes.
• The sores may be painful or itchy.
• The sores will scab over before healing
• Other symptoms might include:
• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle aches and backache
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Chills
• Low energy

You may experience all or only a few of these symptoms. Most people with mpox will get the rash or sores.

Additional guidelines around monkeypox:

If you've been exposed

Isolating at home with monkeypox

Disinfecting your home

Know the signs

What gay and bisexual men need to know

What pet owners should know

• At the request of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the Kansas City Health Department agreed to hold and distribute the Jynneos vaccine throughout the Northwest Region in Missouri.
• On Tuesday, July 26, the Kansas City Health Department received 900 doses of the Jynneos vaccine administered to prevent mpox.
  • This was enough for up to 450 people to receive a 2-dose series 28 days apart.
• Since those initial 900 doses, we have received a second shipment of 900 more, totaling 1800 doses.
• On August 9, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the JYNNEOS vaccine.
  
  • This allows healthcare providers to inject a smaller dosage of the vaccine just under the skin instead of in the fatty layer above the muscle.  This has been shown to produce a better immune response in the body. 
  • With this method, the total number of doses will increase greatly. Instead of having 1800 doses to give, we will now have up to 9000 doses (for up to 4500 people because it is a two-dose vaccination.)

There are four other mpox vaccination distribution locations to cover the needs throughout the state:

• St. Louis County
• Springfield/Green County
• Columbia/Boone County
• Butler County