Current:Home > FinanceVaccination and awareness could help keep mpox in check this summer-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Vaccination and awareness could help keep mpox in check this summer
View Date:2024-12-24 00:37:43
A dozen people came down with mpox in Chicago around early May, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to warn doctors of a potential mpox resurgence.
To those that were watching mpox closely, the increase in U.S. cases wasn't a surprise. New cases had been recently reported in Europe, and U.S. health officials had been warning that low mpox vaccination rates in many parts of the country left at-risk people particularly vulnerable.
"We've been beating the drum around the possibility of an increased number of mpox cases for months," says Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, deputy coordinator of the White House National Mpox Response. "But it wasn't until the cases in Chicago were reported that people started to say 'Oh my gosh, we're at risk for a resurgence.'"
The Chicago outbreak has now grown to more than 30 mpox cases. While those numbers are far lower than last summer, they show that mpox never fully went away.
Health officials say the conditions in the U.S. are ripe for a summer surge, if actions are not taken to avert it.
Low vaccination rates
More than half a million people at risk live in areas with low vaccination rates, according to CDC. This puts them in danger of large, sustained outbreaks that could last for months, if mpox reappears.
During the U.S. outbreak that started last spring, most cases of mpox have been in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. "This is moving primarily through close skin-to-skin contact, often in the context of sexual activity and often related to sexual activity between men," Daskalakis says.
Cities such as Jacksonville, Fla., Memphis, Tenn., Cincinnati, Baltimore, Houston and Dallas are in counties where many at risk aren't vaccinated, according to a CDC analysis. Other cities, including San Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C., are in places with high vaccination rates, where mpox is more likely to be quickly contained if it resurfaces.
Over all, CDC data shows that only around 23% of the 1.7 million people at high risk in the U.S. have been fully vaccinated with two doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine. The disease is disproportionately affecting Black and Latino men, who represent around two-thirds of U.S. cases.
Recent studies found that getting two doses of vaccine is more protective than one. However "even among those who received vaccinations last summer, [many] people who got their first dose of vaccine never returned for their second dose, because they thought we were done with the outbreak," once case numbers dropped last year, says Dr. Boghuma Titanji, an assistant professor of medicine and an infectious diseases specialist at Emory University.
Prior immunity only partially protects
New evidence also shows that people with prior immunity, either through vaccination or recovering from an infection, can get mpox again.
Many people in the recent mpox clusters in Chicago and abroad in France were fully vaccinated. This does not mean that vaccination isn't useful, Daskalakis says. So far, the evidence shows that full vaccination is somewhere between 66% and 86% effective at preventing infection – and anecdotally, the new cases of mpox in fully vaccinated people haven't been severe. "They just have very low-grade infections, some with almost no symptoms," he says, "If it doesn't prevent infection, it prevents a lot of the bad stuff that happened in summer 2022."
While the U.S. has seen low fatalities with mpox, it can cause serious illness. "It's still a disease that can be disfiguring. It can cause severe pain, and for people who are immunocompromised can even be fatal. It's not a trivial occurrence," Titanji says.
As Pride Month starts, health officials are urging revelers to promote good health. "Pride is the opportunity to reach out to people and prevent impacts," Daskalakis says. Those who are eligible for mpox vaccination should get their two doses. Everyone – including those who had mpox before – should be aware of the risk. "If you got a funny rash, it could be mpox, so go get tested," he says, adding that tests are much more plentiful and easier to get than last summer.
From Daskalakis' perspective, there appears to be a storm brewing. Low vaccination rates, prior immunity that's only partially protective, and warm weather partying could combine to give mpox opportunities to spread — but there are also ways to limit the impacts of that storm. "Models are an attempt to forecast the future, and action is our ability to change the future," he says. Improving vaccination rates and awareness among those at risk could prevent a widespread summer surge.
veryGood! (511)
Related
- Tom Brady Admits He Screwed Up as a Dad to Kids With Bridget Moynahan and Gisele Bündchen
- Massachusetts police recruit dies after a medical crisis during training exercise
- Congo court sentences 3 Americans and 34 others to death on coup charges
- Go inside The Bookstore, where a vaudeville theater was turned into a book-lovers haven
- New Orleans marks with parade the 64th anniversary of 4 little girls integrating city schools
- Injured reserve for Christian McCaffrey? 49ers star ruled out again for Week 2
- Oregon DMV mistakenly registered more than 300 non-citizens to vote since 2021
- Funerals to be held for teen boy and math teacher killed in Georgia high school shooting
- Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says next year will be his last in office; mum on his plans afterward
- A teen killed his father in 2023. Now, he is charged with his mom's murder.
Ranking
- Kansas basketball vs Michigan State live score updates, highlights, how to watch Champions Classic
- Colorado Buffaloes football field damaged by man driving crashed pickup, police say
- Robert De Niro slams Donald Trump: 'He's a jerk, an idiot'
- Pennsylvania mail-in ballots with flawed dates on envelopes can be thrown out, court rules
- Tennessee suspect in dozens of rapes is convicted of producing images of child sex abuse
- Hawaii wildfire victims made it just blocks before becoming trapped by flames, report says
- Why Dave Coulier Respects Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen’s Different Perspective on Full House
- Why Britney Spears Will Likely Still Pay Child Support to Ex Kevin Federline After Jayden's 18th Birthday
Recommendation
-
In an AP interview, the next Los Angeles DA says he’ll go after low-level nonviolent crimes
-
Kate Gosselin’s Lawyer Addresses Her Son Collin’s Abuse Allegations
-
Harry Styles Debuts Mullet Haircut In Rare Public Appearance During 2024 London Fashion Week
-
When do new episodes of 'Tulsa King' come out? Season 2 premiere date, cast, where to watch
-
The Cowboys, claiming to be 'all in' prior to Dak Prescott's injury, are in a rare spot: Irrelevance
-
2 dead, 3 injured in Suffolk, Virginia shooting near bus service station
-
Judge frees Colorado paramedic convicted in death of Elijah McClain from prison
-
Fast-moving fire roars through Philadelphia warehouse