Australia has seen a rapid rise in mpox cases in the past three months, with one health expert concerned that low vaccination rates could be driving a spike outside cities.

In comparison, there were 26 cases last year and 144 cases in 2022. The majority of this year’s new cases occurred in the southeastern states and only two cases were reported to be women

Now is the time for eligible people to get their mpox vaccines, experts say, as monthly diagnoses in Australia surge from the single digits to the hundreds.

The number of mpox cases in Australia has increased by more than 570 per cent since July, according to federal data.