MONDAY, Aug. 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Although there is now enough monkeypox vaccine for everyone, the Americans who need it most may still not be getting it, according to a new report.
Only 10% of Jynneos vaccine doses were given to black people, even though they account for a third of cases in the United States, according to new data from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The latest statistics could only be gathered in 17 states and two cities, but similar disparities have already been reported by a few states and cities. So far, the monkeypox outbreak has largely affected gay and bisexual men.
The United States has the most infections of any country – more than 17,000. About 98% of cases in the United States are men and about 93% were men who reported recent sexual contact with others. men. No one in the United States has died from the disease, but deaths have been reported in other countries.
There could be several explanations for this troubling trend, experts say. This could be how and where shots are offered and made public. Additionally, some black men do not trust doctors and government public health efforts, or they may be less likely to identify themselves as being at higher risk of contracting the virus.
Vaccine hesitancy was also seen in black communities when COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out, said Dr. Yvens Laborde, director of global health education at Ochsner Health in New Orleans. Associated press. “If we’re not careful, the same thing will happen here” with monkeypox, he said.
Black men are increasingly constituting monkeypox cases, said Caitlin Rivers, a Johns Hopkins University expert on the government’s response to outbreaks. PA. “It’s a problem that can’t be solved,” she said.
The Biden administration said Friday it had shipped enough monkeypox vaccine to administer the first of two doses to those most at risk. That’s nearly 2 million gay or bisexual men. The CDC, however, cannot break this down by race, the PA Noted.
A sufficient number of second doses are expected by the end of September. As a stopgap measure, health officials have already recommended reducing doses to stretch the vaccine supply. According to the Biden administration, only 14 of 67 jurisdictions have used enough vaccine to request more from the federal stockpile.
Black men need more access to the vaccine, some experts say.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, speaking at a White House briefing on Friday, said her agency has taken steps to increase access to vaccines in black communities. Vaccines and educational materials will be available at upcoming Black Pride Atlanta and Southern Decadence New Orleans events on PA reported.
“We’ve seen that we’re starting to roll out these pilots that they’re working,” she said.
Nowadays:
- About 50% of those who received the vaccine are white and about 25% were Hispanic.
- About 10% were black and 10% were Asian.
- About 94% were men and 6% were women.
- More than half of the beneficiaries were between 25 and 39 years old.
In a similar vein, a CDC survey released on Friday showed that about half of gay and bisexual men reduce their sexual activity to avoid infection with monkeypox.
More information
Visit the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to learn more about monkeypox.
THE SOURCE: Associated press
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