Health officials call for caution as mpox may return as summer arrives

With the summer festival season approaching, public health officials have warned that mpox infections could flare up, often as vaccines become less effective in the absence of a second recommended dose. ing.

Recently, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and San Diego County public health officials highlighted an outbreak of mpox in Chicago, according to a May 18 report. briefing session The CDC reported 21 new cases.

“What’s so unique about this cluster is that most cases occur in people who have received one or both vaccines,” said Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, acting White House mpox coordinator. .

San Diego County has recorded four cases of vaccinated residents later becoming infected, all reported in 2022. Public Health Deputy Secretary Dr. Ankita Kadakia said the area had not reported any new cases since February, but that efforts were underway to contain the spread of the disease. The most at-risk communities are underway.

“We haven’t seen the kind of situation we’ve seen in Chicago in San Diego, but we still want to take a proactive approach,” Kadakia said. “We know summer is approaching, travel is approaching, and there are plenty of festivals and outdoor events that bring people together.

“We just want to remind the community that mpox vaccination is available, and we also make testing available for those who are concerned.”

Public messaging about vaccination and infection prevention is believed to have stopped the 2022 pandemic, but there is also evidence that vaccines are not a panacea.

According to the CDC, a recent study estimated the efficacy of the JYNNEOS vaccine to be 36% to 75% for one dose and 66% to 86% for two doses, which are the recommended numbers.

It’s important to remember that the vaccine was designed to prevent smallpox infection, said Dr. David M. Smith, director of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health at the University of California, San Diego. Stated. On the other hand, mpox, formerly called monkeypox, and the virus that causes smallpox are closely related. Relatedthey are not identical, which is likely responsible for the differences in vaccine response, Smith said.

“With smallpox, it’s very good because you only have to get it once and you’re protected,” Smith said. “Smallpox and smallpox share many similarities, so I thought the same thing would happen if I used the smallpox vaccine against smallpox, but now I have immunity and it doesn’t work. However, we now know that it is declining.”

Studies of vaccine efficacy have shown that a second shot boosts immunity significantly, but many people don’t bother to get a second shot.

vaccination data Approximately 750,000 Americans received the first dose, but only about 470,000 of them have been shown to receive the second dose. In San Diego County, as of May 1, 2023, a total of 14,681 residents had received at least one vaccination, but only 9,520 returned to the first dose.

So far, no schedule for boosting mpx to boost immunity has been approved as the number of infected people begins to rise. The official recommendation for a second dose is 28 days after the first, but Smith said there was no reason to believe that completing the series would be impossible if that period was significantly outside.

This means that people who have had the first dose but not the second dose may be given a booster dose just as the summer begins.

“We don’t have good data to show that 28 days is optimal for this vaccine,” Smith said in an email. “Most of this recommendation is based on data from other vaccines.

“Later administration outside of the time frame may generate higher levels of immune protection.”

Of course, there are many things you can do to prevent infection other than vaccination.

The mpox virus is spread through intimate, mostly sexual contact between people.who indicates Ninety-six percent of those infected are male, with a median age of 34. In public health interviews, 84% of those who wanted to share their sexual orientation identified themselves as men who have sex with men, of whom nearly 8% said they were androgynous. It has been found. .

Men have been hit particularly hard, but women have also been hit by the barrage, accounting for nearly 4 percent of cases.

Party venues with sexual contact were cited as the most likely place of infection for 66% of cases.

This information follows previous pandemics that were reported to be associated with pride events occurring in cities around the world.

Kadakia, the county medical director, said the aim was to celebrate as usual but pay attention to the message about safe sex.

“When we talk about limiting exposure, we still want people to go out and live their best lives, right?” Kadakia said. “That doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself, or that you can’t go out to enjoy summer festivals, trips, or other activities in which you participate.”

Smith, who has treated several severe cases of mpox over the past year, added that it is important for people experiencing symptoms to come forward and seek help. Severe cases can be very painful, but there is no reason to suffer without help.

“If you feel something, say something. I think that’s really the key,” Smith said.

Since the outbreak began in 2022, public health officials have distributed more than 1.2 million doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine in the U.S., peaking at 460 new infections per day and more than 30,000 nationwide, according to the CDC. infected and 42 died.

More than 87,000 cases have been confirmed worldwide and 143 have died. according to to the World Health Organization. According to WHO, monkeypox activity increased globally from May 22 to May 28, with 96 cases detected that week, compared with 51 cases a week earlier. Met. San Diego County has report 474 infected, 18 hospitalized and 0 deaths.