LGBTQI+ health organizations have asked the government to secure supplies of the new, tougher monkeypox vaccine before the virus spreads further.
Australia's oldest LGBTQI+ health clinic, Thorne Harbor in Melbourne, has been flooded with questions, after Monkeypox was declared a disease of national significance in Australia.
Virus cases in the northern hemisphere are also on the rise, prompting the World Health Organization to declare Monkeypox a global health emergency.
The vaccine specifically for Monkeypox has not been widely used, but the vaccine developed for Smallpox is considered effective.
Currently, there are two vaccines on the market and Australia has a stockpile of one, an older vaccine called ACAM-2000. But the vaccine is not recommended for people with weakened immune systems, including those with H-I-V, and can only be given by specialists, and is associated with rare but serious side effects.
The preferred option is a newer third generation vaccine called MVA-BN.
