Racial disparity worsens in monkeypox infections as cases decline

Editor's Note

White House officials said on Wednesday, September 7, that despite worsening racial disparities in reported monkeypox cases, they are optimistic about the decline in cases and the increase in vaccinations.

Dr Demetre Daskalakis, deputy coordinator of the White House national monkeypox response, said vaccination will be offered in the coming weeks at LGBTQ Pride festivals around the country. He added that more than 460,000 doses have been given; 21,274 cases have been reported in the US as of Wednesday.

Infections are slowing, but the decline has revealed growing racial divides. Although cases in white men have dropped in the recent weeks, Black people’s infection rates are going up, with nearly 38% infected at the end of August, according to recent data. Additionally, data shows that Latinos currently make up roughly a third of infections.

Dr Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the John Hopkins Center for Health Security, said that these trends mean that public health messaging and vaccines are not effectively reaching those communities. Moving forward Daskalakis said the Biden administration is working on getting the monkeypox vaccine into the hands of local organizations in an effort to increase uptake in Black and Latino communities.