The CDC is cautiously optimistic that the US is slowing the spread of monkeypox.
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that she was cautiously optimistic that many of the harm reduction messages and vaccines would work.
The speed of the outbreak appears to be slowing despite the fact that monkeypox cases are still increasing nationwide. More monkeypox cases have been reported in the US than any other country in the world.
New monkeypox cases have dropped in New York City, which has reported more infections than any other jurisdiction, from more than 70 a day to nine.
Dr. Aswhin Vasan, the city health commissioner, said earlier this week that the outbreak has slowed because of increased vaccinations. There have been more than two thousand monkeypox cases in New York City.
In Chicago, the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, there have been 74 new cases for the week of August 20. There have been over 800 cases reported in Chicago.
Chicago's public health commissioner said during a Facebook live event that they are not seeing the potentially exponential growth that they were seeing early on. It's too early to say that things are going well, but there are some signs that things are slowing down.
Gay and bisexual men in the U.S. will soon be able to get two doses of the monkeypox vaccine, according to Dawn O'Connell, the head of the national stockpile.
Up to 1.7 million gay and bisexual men who are HIV positive or are eligible for medicine to reduce their chances of contracting HIV face the greatest health risk from monkeypox, according to the CDC.
More than 3 million doses of the monkeypox vaccine are expected to be available by the end of the current distribution round, according to O'Connell.
Black and Hispanic men are more affected by the outbreak. According to CDC data, about 30% of monkeys are white, 32% are Hispanic and 23% are black. Whites make up more than half of the U.S. population while Blacks and Hispanics make up less than one percent.
In the U.S., the vaccine Jynneos is given in two separate doses. The second dose of the vaccine won't be effective for two weeks, according to the CDC. Almost all of the shots that have been administered so far were the first ones.
According to the deputy head of the White House monkeypox response team, almost all of the people who have contracted the disease are men who have sex with men.
Half of the gay and bisexual men surveyed by the CDC have reduced one-time sexual encounters during the current outbreak. A 40% decrease in one-time sexual encounters would reduce the number of gay and bisexual men with monkeypox by up to 31%.
Walensky said that vaccine get out, behaviors change and harm reduction messages are being heard. They worked together to bend the curve.
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