Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Mpox Cases and Vaccination Among Adult Males — United States, May–December 2022

Urban and Rural Mpox Incidence Among Persons Aged 15–64 Years — United States, May 10–December 31, 2022

“…Efforts to support and maintain mpox surveillance should be continued nationally in all areas of urbanicity to ensure all persons at risk for mpox get tested and treated. The current analysis demonstrated that racial and ethnic disparities in mpox incidence that were previously documented ( 10 ) were higher in absolute magnitude in urban areas and higher in relative magnitude in smaller urban and rural areas. This underscores the need for continued implementation of equity-based vaccination strategies focused on gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in urban areas where most mpox cases have been reported.…”

Mpox Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Among Persons Presenting for JYNNEOS Vaccination—District of Columbia, August to October 2022

“…A predominate concern raised by participants, all of whom were able to obtain mpox vaccine for themselves, was the need for more equitable access to mpox vaccines for others. In the 2022 outbreak, mpox infections disproportionately occurred among sexual and gender minorities and Black and Hispanic/Latino persons 2,7,23 . Unfortunately, similar racial and ethnic disparities were observed among those who received the vaccine 24,25 .…”

“…Despite more than 700,000 administered vaccine doses between May and December 2022, inequities in vaccine uptake were observed. By the end of 2022, vaccination rates were higher among male individuals in racial and ethnic minority groups than among White male individuals but not proportionate to higher infection rates among these groups, indicating that disparities remain despite improvements in vaccine uptake 7 . To support equitable vaccine distribution among mpox priority populations, it is critical to understand mpox perceptions, and barriers and facilitators to vaccine uptake.…”

Ethical Considerations in Implementing Doxycycline Postexposure Prophylaxis for the Prevention of Bacterial Sexually Transmitted Infections

“…Consequently, justice requires that doxycycline PEP be equitably available to those disproportionately burdened by STIs and for whom the intervention has been shown to be effective. Recent experiences with uptake of HIV preexposure prophylaxis and mpox vaccination suggest the need to anticipate the possibility of racial and ethnic disparities in doxycycline PEP uptake 22,23 . Because Black and Hispanic people in the United States are disproportionately at risk of STIs, doxycycline PEP uptake may prove to be helpful in reducing such health inequities.…”