More monkeypox jabs arrive in Australia to boost vaccination rate ahead of WorldPride events

The health minister, Mark Butler, will also announce on Monday that a second shipment of almost 40,000 vials of the monkeypox vaccine Jynneos has arrived in Australia and will be made available through the states and territories.

More than 140 cases of monkeypox have been reported in Australia since May, including 69 in Victoria, 55 in New South Wales, seven in Western Australia and five in Queensland.

Despite only one case being notified last month, health advocates are emphasising the need for vigilance.

ACON in NSW and Thorne Harbour Health in Victoria were both involved in the campaign.

The chief executive of ACON, Nicolas Parkhill, warned against complacency in the lead-up to summer.

Australia has ordered 450,000 vials in total of Jynneos, a third-generation smallpox vaccine that is also effective against monkeypox, the federal government says.

Of these, 100,000 are due to be delivered by the end of this year and the remaining 350,000 will be rolled out next year.

The first batch of vaccines arrived in August and nearly 25,000 people at the highest risk have received their first dose.

The Australian Federation of Aids Organisations (AFAO) welcomed the arrival of the next batch of 40,000 vaccines and encouraged all those eligible to take up the free vaccines.