Monkeypox cases see big drop since August; focus remains on disproportionate share among men of color

Monkeypox cases have dropped nearly 50% since early August, the White House said today, affirming the effectiveness of a national mitigation strategy where vaccination and education are used in tandem. Despite the overall decrease, cases are increasingly more prevalent among certain groups – particularly gay and bisexual men of color – highlighting significant gaps that still exist, especially in vaccination status against the disease. 
 
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today opened applications for its monkeypox vaccine equity pilot program, which is intended to reach populations that may face barriers to monkeypox vaccination, including differences in language; location of vaccination sites; vaccine hesitancy; mistrust of government; lack of access to on-line scheduling technology; accessibility/disability issues; immigration status; and stigma.