State reports 13 monkeypox cases, US boosts vax rollout
As the monkeypox outbreak grows, the Biden White House and other federal health officials are significantly boosting a vaccination strategy by releasing 300,000 vax doses over the coming weeks.
The nationwide vax plan will protect those at risk of monkeypox and prioritize vaccines for areas with the highest case counts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported more than 300 cases in the U.S., and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health — which confirmed the country’s first case — has reported 13 monkeypox infections as of last week.
“After exposure, vaccinations can play a role in monkeypox. That’s different than COVID,” Ashish Jha, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, said during a Tuesday press call about the monkeypox outbreak response. “In fact, vaccinations can have a very substantial impact on slowing the spread of the virus, as well as protecting the most vulnerable individuals.”
“We were prepared to act rapidly when the first domestic cases of monkeypox were confirmed about six weeks ago in Massachusetts,” Jha said, later adding, “Within five days of that, Boston received vaccines to give to people who had been exposed.”
Under the new vax strategy, the U.S. will allocate 296,000 doses over the coming weeks. About 1.6 million doses will become available during the coming months.
Before Tuesday, the feds had recommended vaccines for only those who had a monkeypox exposure.
“But now, we are recommending that vaccines be provided to both people with known monkeypox exposures who are contacted by public health, and also to those people who’ve been recently exposed to monkeypox but may not be identified through case investigation and contact tracing,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said.
That can be: people who had close physical contact with someone diagnosed with monkeypox; those who know their sexual partner was diagnosed with monkeypox; and men who have sex with men who recently had multiple sex partners in a venue with monkeypox cases, or in an area where monkeypox is spreading.
Anyone who has close physical contact with someone who has monkeypox is at risk. While many of the cases appear to be spreading through close contact in sexual and social networks among men who have sex with men, the risk of monkeypox is not limited to people who are sexually active or men who have sex with men.
“Monkeypox infection remains rare,” Bisola Ojikutu, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission, said in a statement. “As we anticipate an increase in cases, the Boston Public Health Commission is educating residents, supporting providers in identifying cases, and helping all people understand this disease.
“As an infectious disease doctor specializing in HIV, I’ve seen how stigma can undermine public health responses,” she added. “Anyone can contract monkeypox. Therefore, it’s important that everyone knows the symptoms and that no one is deterred from seeking care because of stigma.”
The most common symptom of monkeypox is a rash that can appear on the face, inside the mouth and on other parts of the body.