The Latest on Monkeypox

By the National Institute for Health Care Management

The World Health Organization declared the monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency as the number of confirmed cases has increased to over 30,000 across 88 countries with more than 8,900 cases in the U.S. (as of August 8th, 2022). On August 4th, President Biden declared monkeypox a national public health emergency. 

  • Vaccines: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that nearly 786,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine will be made available for distribution. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that nearly 1.5 million people are eligible for the vaccine.
  • Not a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI): While monkeypox cases have predominately been found among men who have sex with men, it is neither an STI nor does it only impact specific communities. Transmission can occur through skin-to-skin contact, touching contaminated objects, respiratory secretions, and during pregnancy. Experts have warned that stigmatizing messaging reinforces stereotypes and can undermine response efforts, as was the case during the HIV/AIDS epidemic. 
  • Impact on Health Clinics: Sexual health clinics, which have already been under pressure from years of underfunding and COVID-19, are now on the frontline of the growing monkeypox outbreak. 
  • Outlook: Many have compared the response to monkeypox in the U.S. to that of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite recent expansions in testing capacity, areas are still facing shortages, delays in getting results, and a lack of reliable ways to test.

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