U.S. monkeypox outbreak is slowing as vaccine becomes more available, health officials say

White House health officials say the monkeypox outbreak in the United States will raise greater public awareness as vaccines become more available and what actions individuals can take to lower their risk of infection. is decelerating due to an increase in

Demetre Daskarakis, deputy head of the White House monkeypox response team, said it took 25 days to double from July 8 to August. All of Texas has seen a significant drop in new cases over the past month.

“The positive trends we see in this data speak to the actions individuals across the country are taking to protect themselves from the virus, including changing their behavior and seeking testing and vaccines,” Daskalakis said. increase.

The United States is still battling the world’s largest monkeypox epidemic, with nearly 21,000 cases reported in all 50 states of Washington, DC and Puerto Rico, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Monkeypox is spread primarily among gay and bisexual men during sex, but anyone can catch the virus through close physical contact with an infected person or with contaminated towels, sheets and other materials. It can become infected. The disease is rarely fatal, but causes painful lesions that resemble pimples and blisters.

The Biden administration faced criticism this summer for not acting quickly enough to increase vaccine supplies to meet the enormous demand for vaccinations. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra public health emergency Last month, the Food and Drug Administration approved Alternate methods of administering vaccines This allows providers to extract more doses from each vaccine vial.

The Jynneos vaccine, manufactured by Bavarian Nordic in Denmark, is the only licensed monkeypox vaccine in the United States. He is given two doses, 28 days apart, and on the second dose he peaks in immune response two weeks later.

CDC does not yet have real efficacy data on the Jynneos vaccine, but public health officials expect it to provide protection against monkeypox.

Vaccine supplies have expanded significantly since early August. According to her 35-state data provided to the CDC, the United States has received more than 460,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine so far. About 1.6 million gay and bisexual men are at highest risk of monkeypox and are a major focus of vaccination efforts.

Black and Hispanic communities have been particularly hard hit by the virus. Nearly 38% of his patients are black, 29% Hispanic, and 27% white, according to CDC data. According to 2020 Census data, the overall US population is 12% black, 19% Hispanic, and 61% white.

Daskalakis said the CDC and the White House are working with organizations in the black and brown communities to improve access to vaccines. According to Robert Fenton, head of the White House’s monkeypox response team, vaccinations were provided over Labor Day weekend on the grounds of the Atlanta Black Pride, and 4,000 doses were administered.

The U.S. provides vaccinations at Pride and other events, with more gay and bisexual men attending to ensure more vaccinations. More than 3,000 doses were given at the Southern Decadence in New Orleans, according to Fenton. We have provided 10,000 doses to California.

Although the risk is low, Daskalakis said federal health officials are also working with colleges and universities as schools reopen on the resources and tools available to combat monkeypox in the event of an outbreak on campus. said.

“The risk in college is extremely low,” Daskalakis said. “Realistically, the risk in these situations is low given the spread of this virus across the population. Awareness is more important than anxiety,” he said.

According to CDC guidance, people with monkeypox should stay home, stay away from others, and do not share objects or materials with others until the rash has healed and a new layer of skin has formed. please give me.

According to the CDC, people with new or unexplained rashes should avoid sex and social gatherings, especially where there is close skin-to-skin contact. You can also reduce the risk of infection by temporarily restricting sexual partners from her second dose of monkeypox vaccine until two weeks after her.