The new monkeypox data show 'what many predicted — stark racial inequities.'
In Chicago and Washington, DC, more than half of all vaccines have gone to White people,Of the 111 total cases reported in North Carolina, no cases were reported in women, and"nearly all" cases have been in men who have sex with men, the report states. Sixty-five cases were in men aged 30–49, and 41 cases were in men aged 18–29. Seventy-eight cases were in Black men, and 21 cases were in White men. Of 3048 monkeypox vaccine recipients, 2039 were White , and 719 were Black.
The webpage describing monkeypox vaccine eligibility, for example, explains that the vaccine is available to men who have sex with men who in the past 90 daysand have received medication to prevent HIV. For these interventions to be successful, public health personnel should use"language that can help us to prioritize [access], but also doesn't require people to have to come to terms directly with something that may be difficult for them to admit," he said,"in order to get really what is a vaccine that will not only protect them but will really hold forward transmission."
In an email to Medscape, the NCDHHS noted that they are working with nonprofit organizations, healthcare providers, local health clinics, and HIV/STI clinics to reach those at higher risk for monkeypox. The department will soon be launching a digital campaign to increase awareness of monkeypox testing and vaccines, an NCDHHS spokesperson wrote in an email. The"ads will run on social media, dating apps, and other digital platforms that LGBTQ+ men are likely to visit.