Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
LGBTQ Groups Frustrated Over Racial Disparity In Monkeypox Effort
Politico: LGBTQ Advocates Say The Government Is Missing Communities Of Color In Its Monkeypox Response
As monkeypox spreads across the country, new data suggests a worrying trend: Black and Latino men who have sex with men are far more likely to catch the virus than their white counterparts. While the numbers are limited, they are stark. Nearly 28 percent of monkeypox cases in the U.S. right now are among Black individuals, and 33 percent are among Hispanic people, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said on Thursday, despite those groups only comprising 13.6 and 18.9 percent of the population, respectively. (Messerly and Mahr, 8/18)
The Colorado Sun: Colorado Monkeypox Data Shows Evidence Of Racial Disparities
The number of monkeypox infections continues to rise in Colorado, but new state data shows evidence that Black and Latino communities have been hit harder. (Ingold, 8/18)
WDSU: Louisiana Monkeypox Cases Show Striking Racial Disparities, Early Data Shows
The Louisiana Department of Health released new data showing a demographic breakdown of the state's monkeypox cases. According to state health officials, early data shows striking racial disparities in cases. LDH confirms that nearly 60 percent of the cases in Louisiana have been reported among Black Louisianans, and 27 percent have been reported in White Louisiana residents. According to LDH, 95 percent of the cases are from male patients. (8/18)
More on the spread of monkeypox and the vaccine rollout —
CNBC: Stalled Monkeypox Vaccines Raise Risk Of Spillover, Wider Outbreak
Concerns are mounting that the window of opportunity for containing the escalating monkeypox outbreak may be closing, with vaccine shortages leaving some at-risk groups waiting weeks to get jabbed. (Gilchrist, 8/19)
NPR: Can The U.S. Get The Monkeypox Vaccine Campaign On Track By Splitting Up Doses?
"We are definitely in what we're still calling 'The Hunger Games' phase of this – where there's nowhere near enough doses for the demand," says Dr. Mark Del Beccaro, Assistant Deputy Chief for Public Health – Seattle & King County. Already facing the expected logistical hurdles of running a vaccine campaign in a public health emergency, health officials now have to tackle another challenge: how to squeeze five doses out of single-dose vials. (Stone and Huang, 8/19)
KHN: Local Health Officials To Feds: Where’s The Rest Of Our Monkeypox Vaccine?
Los Angeles County health officials found out Tuesday that the federal government slashed the county’s requested and expected monkeypox vaccine allotment by 60%. Last week, the FDA told health care providers to split a one-dose vial of the monkeypox vaccine into five doses. The shift was good news for vaccine-strapped cities throughout the country because it meant what little supply is available could be stretched much further. (Fortier, 8/18)
CIDRAP: Survey Shows High Intent To Get The Monkeypox Vaccine But Problems Self-Diagnosing
A study today in Eurosurveillance shows 70% of surveyed men who have sex with men (MSM) in the Netherlands said they intended to vaccinate against monkeypox, and 44% showed high intention for self-isolation after diagnosis. The online survey, however, showed the challenges of self-diagnosis, with only 52.3% of participants able to correctly identify a picture of monkeypox lesions on the face. Participants were asked to view images of monkeypox, Staphylococcus infection, stage 2 syphilis infections, or eczema. (Soucheray, 8/18)
