Outreach mpox vaccination at sex-on-premises venues in Sydney: An audit of a collaborative intervention by public health nurses and LGBTQI+ peer workers

Background/Purpose: In 2024, in response to a re-surge in mpox transmission in New South Wales, Australia, Kirketon Road Centre (KRC) partnered with an HIV and LGBTQI+ community organisation, ACON, to conduct outreach vaccination in two sex-on-premises venues (SOPVs), also known as “saunas”. SOPV attendees were approached by an ACON peer worker who offered health education and on-site mpox vaccination (Jynneos ^® ) by a registered nurse. Data on the number of engagements, vaccination acceptance, and self-reported vaccination history were collected. With client consent, vaccinations were also recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR). Methods: In addition to a descriptive analysis of service records, we matched individual-level records with AIR and ran (comparative) descriptive and multivariate analyses, comparing individuals who received their mpox vaccine at KRC’s fixed-site vs. at an SOPV. Findings: During the outreach period, KRC administered 639 mpox vaccines at its fixed-site and conducted 22 outreach sessions at SOPVs in collaboration with ACON. These sessions resulted in 840 engagements; 522 individuals were eligible for mpox vaccination and 407 (78%) accepted. Among individuals who were matched with AIR, 77% at KRC’s fixed-site and 66% at SOPV received two doses of mpox vaccine. Overall, people vaccinated at SOPVs were older (mean 46 vs. 39 years) and less likely to reside locally (34% vs 51%). They were also less likely to have Medicare (57% vs. 74%), and/or to have an AIR record (60% vs. 67%). In a multivariate model, vaccine completion was not associated with receiving SOPV vs. KRC’s fixed-site. Conclusions: Mpox outreach vaccination done in collaboration between nurses and LGBTQI+ peer-workers at SOPVs proved feasible, acceptable, and beneficial in terms of reaching people who may be out of area and not be routinely engaged with sexual health services. This model should be considered in future models of care involving MSM.