Monkeypox vaccines will be made available at gay pride and other events as part of a new pilot program to curb the rapid spread of the virus, U.S. health officials said Thursday.
US cases have risen rapidly to 13,500 since May, when the current outbreak began in Europe. Latest official data shows that 98 percent of cases have occurred in men and 93 percent in men who have recently had sexual contact with other men.
Hispanics and blacks are both disproportionately affected.
The federal government “is beginning a pilot program that will provide up to 50,000 doses from the national supply to be made available for Pride and other events,” Bob Fenton, the White House monkeypox response coordinator, told reporters.
Notable upcoming events include Black Pride in Atlanta and Southern Decadence in New Orleans, both around Labor Day on September 5th and the weekend leading up to it.
The reopening of colleges this fall is also likely to accelerate the spread.
State health officials may place orders depending on the size of the event and their ability to reach highest-risk attendees, added Rochelle Walenksy, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
However, she added that since the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine is available in two doses, recipients are being advised that they will not receive immediate protection at the event itself and will need to follow up on their second vaccination.
Overall, the U.S. has shipped about one million doses of vaccine to state and other local jurisdictions and will have another 1.8 million doses available to order starting next week, Fenton said.
The federal government will also send out 50,000 courses of the antiviral treatment TPOXX.
Last week, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new method of injecting the vaccine — between the top layers of skin rather than deeper beneath it — to get five times more from the same amount of substance.
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