Monkeypox Outbreak: CDC Urges Vaccination for High-Risk Groups to Prevent Spread

[더구루=김형수 기자] Warning lights for the re-proliferation of monkeypox (MPOX) came on this summer. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) actively recommends monkeypox vaccination for high-risk groups and is doing its best to prevent large-scale transmission of monkeypox.

The CDC warned on the 25th that monkeypox could spread significantly as many people gather at various festivals and events held this spring and summer.

The CDC emphasized the danger, saying that the spread of monkeypox, which began in earnest in May of last year, has declined since August of last year, but is not over yet. To date, there have been 30,395 confirmed cases of monkeypox reported in the United States.

Between the 17th of last month and the 5th, 12 confirmed monkeypox cases and 1 suspected case were reported. The confirmed cases were all male, including 9 whites, 2 blacks, and 2 Asians, and no cases were hospitalized. Nine of the confirmed cases were confirmed to have received two doses of monkeypox vaccine JYNNEOS.

The CDC urged vaccination, saying that if two doses of the Geneos vaccine are completed, even if a person is diagnosed with monkeypox, the symptoms may be milder than those who have not been vaccinated. In particular, active vaccination targeting high-risk groups is actively encouraged. The CDC estimates that about 1.2 million doses of Gynneos have been administered, but only 23% of people at risk of monkeypox have completed vaccination.

The high-risk group is △those who have been in contact with a confirmed monkeypox △person who has a sexual partner with a confirmed monkeypox within the past 2 weeks △has a sexual orientation such as homosexual, bisexual, or transgender and has been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease within the past 6 months or has Persons who have had more than one sexual partner; have engaged in prostitution or have had sex in connection with a major event held in an area where there is an outbreak of monkeypox; persons with HIV infection or other immunosuppressive factors and potential exposure to monkeypox etc.

“To prevent a large-scale resurgence of monkeypox in the spring and summer, we are urging clinicians to pay due attention to new confirmed cases of monkeypox and to recommend vaccination to high-risk groups,” the CDC said. Together, vaccination strategies before and after exposure to monkeypox can help control monkeypox by suppressing transmission, preventing disease, and reducing hospitalization rates.”