Our investigation documents the isolation and identification of monkeypox virus from humans in the Western Hemisphere. Infection of humans was associated with direct contact with ill prairie dogs that were being kept or sold as pets.

No abstract

An experimental components analysis of brief HIV risk-reduction counseling based on the information-motivation-behavioral skills (IMB) model was conducted with 432 men and 193 women receiving sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinic services. Following baseline assessments, participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 90-min risk-reduction counseling sessions that deconstructed the IMB model within a full factorial design. Participants were followed for 9 months, with STI diagnoses monitored over 12 months. Men who received the full IMB session evidenced relatively greater use of risk-reduction behavioral skills and relatively lower rates of unprotected intercourse over 6-months follow-up and had fewer new STIs. For women, however, the motivational counseling demonstrated the most positive outcomes. Results suggest that brief single-exposure HIV prevention counseling can reduce HIV transmission risks.

Cervical cancer incidence is marked by severe racial and ethnic disparities. Effective promotion of the recently licensed HPV vaccine across ethnic/racial groups may help curtail disparities. The purpose of this research was to investigate mothers’ intentions to vaccinate daughters against HPV as a function of message framing (gain versus loss) across three cultural groups: Hispanic, non-Hispanic White, and non-Hispanic African-American. One hundred fifty mothers were recruited from WIC clinics in Wisconsin and asked to respond to information about the HPV vaccine for their daughters. In a repeated-measures experiment, two different frames (gain and loss) were used to present the information. Consistent with our expectations, results indicated that both frames are equally effective in promoting vaccination intentions in non-Hispanic White Mothers. Conversely, a loss frame message was more effective in non-Hispanic African-American and Hispanic mothers. These results suggest that current information sharing campaigns, aimed at promoting the HPV vaccine among ethnic minority groups, should be modified to not focus exclusively on the benefits of vaccination.