Good news ! In a communiqué released on February 1, New York City announced the end of the Mpox (Monkeypox or monkey pox) epidemic, as transmission had remained very low in the city for two consecutive months. This announcement follows the successful vaccination of more than 100,000 New Yorkers and the involvement of the gay community (which accounts for the overwhelming majority of Mpox cases in New York) in prevention and behavior change. sexual. New York City was the epicenter of the outbreak, but launched a number of effective response strategies. The statement comes as the US public health emergency expired on January 31. “The end of the Mpox outbreak is a proud moment for us in public health and represents the best of science and society coming together for rapid action,” said the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ashwin Vasan. And the latter to add: “Our city has vaccinated more than 100,000 people and was the first in the country to pilot effective strategies, promoting both public awareness and official response strategies. Through broad and deep community partnerships, the leadership of affected communities and advocates, and the continued engagement of healthcare professionals and many others, we have significantly reduced transmission and are better prepared for future outbreaks. New York City took bold action early on and throughout this outbreak, and together they have helped turn the tide and mobilize the nation.” The GMHC (Gay Men’s Health Crisis, the first association for the fight against AIDS founded in New York in 1982) welcomed this announcement on twitter: “The GHMC is proud to partner with @nycHealthy to fight Mpox. The funding allowed us to direct more than 600 people to vaccination appointments, to organize a mobile vaccination unit for three weeks, to carry out awareness actions in the Bronx and to inform on the networks social”. What about the global Mpox epidemic? A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) published on February 2 indicates 716 new cases of Mpox (0.8% increase in total cases since January 19, 2023). WHO analysis of case data received over the past three months (21 October 2022 to 30 January 2023) shows that the age and sex distribution, severity and clinical presentation of Mpox cases remain unchanged during this period, while the number of reported cases has steadily decreased worldwide. However, thirty-nine countries continue to report cases of Mpox and the WHO Emergency Committee on the Mpox Outbreak will meet again for the fourth time on February 9, 2023.
