Mpox Vaccination and Willingness to Participate in Mpox Vaccine Research Among Sexual and Gender Minority Adults with and Without HIV in the United States.

Vaccination played a critical role in controlling the 2022 mpox outbreak in the United States, yet only a quarter of eligible individuals are estimated to be fully vaccinated. Using mixed methods, we analyzed cross-sectional data collected from 60 sexual and gender minority people with and without HIV (PWH and PWOH) in August 2022. We investigated willingness to receive an mpox vaccine and to participate in mpox vaccine research, as well as actual vaccine uptake and experiences, and compared results by HIV status. Two-thirds of participants (66.7%) had received at least one dose of the mpox vaccine, including 61.5% of PWH and 70.6% of PWOH. PWH and PWOH had similarly high levels of willingness to receive an mpox vaccine. In open-ended responses, participants described personal and societal benefits of vaccination and had positive attitudes towards vaccines. Despite high vaccine acceptance and uptake, satisfaction with the vaccine rollout was low. A majority of unvaccinated participants who had tried to get the vaccine reported that they were unable to access it. Willingness to participate in mpox vaccine research was lower than willingness to receive a vaccine, though still moderately high. Some participants expressed uncertainty about research participation, concerns about safety, and negative attitudes toward research in general. PWH were more willing to participate in an mpox vaccine trial than were PWOH; however, this difference was not statistically significant. These results can inform future mpox research, vaccine rollout, and community engagement for vaccine trial recruitment.