Gay men make up 82% of D.C. monkeypox cases – Washington Blade
D.C. Department of Health Director Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt told reporters at a Monday press conference that as of Sunday, July 17, there were 122 reported cases of monkeypox in the District of Columbia and that 82 percent of those cases involved individuals who identify as gay.
Nesbitt joined D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser at the press conference to provide an update on the city’s response to the monkeypox outbreak. They each urged city residents to visit a newly released Department of Health website at PreventMonkeypox.dc.gov to obtain the latest information about the viral illness and whether they may be eligible for the vaccine that can prevent people from becoming infected.
“It is important to note, it is extremely important to note that while the majority of the cases during this outbreak are occurring in individuals who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community, this is not a disease of the LGBTQ+ community,” Nesbitt said.
“Anyone can contract monkeypox, and it is important that we do not create a stigma at this time and that we encourage individuals to be on the lookout for symptoms,” she told the news conference.
Based on monkeypox case numbers reported nationwide by the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, D.C.’s 122 cases represent the highest number of monkeypox cases per capita compared to any of the 50 states.
“We do have 122 cases as of yesterday,” Nesbitt said at the press conference. “The average age or the median age, rather, is 32. And the age range is 18 to 64,” she said. “The majority of cases are occurring in individuals who are 30 to 34 years old. Sixty-three [percent] of the cases are occurring in individuals who identify as white,” she continued.
“Ninety-six percent of the cases are occurring in individuals who identify as males,” Nesbitt said. “And 82 percent are occurring in individuals who identify as gay.”
In response to a question from the Blade, Department of Health spokesperson Kimberly Henderson said on Tuesday that Nesbitt was referring specifically to individuals who self-identified and self-reported their sexual orientation as “gay” when Nesbitt stated that 82 percent of the D.C. monkeypox cases were among people who identified as gay.
A joint statement released on Monday by the mayor’s office and the DOH says monkeypox is a potentially serious but rarely fatal viral illness “that can be transmitted from person to person through direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs, or body fluids.” The statement says the virus is often spread during “intimate physical contact between people, including sex, kissing, and hugging.” It says it also can be spread when a person touches fabrics, such as bedding, or towels used by a person with monkeypox.
“The initial symptoms of monkeypox often include flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes followed by a rash and lesion on the skin,” the statement says. “The rash can look like pimples or blisters that appear on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus,” according to the statement.
Monday’s press conference took place on the sidewalk outside the headquarters building on 14th Street, N.W. of Whitman-Walker Health, the LGBTQ supportive heath care clinic that is among the community-based organizations partnering with the city to address the monkeypox outbreak.
“I’m pleased to be here with Whitman-Walker,” Bowser told the press conference after she was introduced by Whitman-Walker Health CEO Naseema Shafi. “I want to thank you and your entire staff for working with D.C. Health and for continuing to work with D.C. Health in the coming weeks and months,” Bowser told Shafi.
The mayor said that as of Monday, about 2,600 people in the city had been vaccinated with their first dose of the two-dose vaccine regimen. She urged residents to go to the newly created website to determine how best to apply for an appointment for the vaccine if they believe they could be at risk for monkeypox.
“We are especially working with reaching out to members of the LGBTQ+ community, specifically to gay and bisexual men, because those are the communities most affected by the virus at this moment,” Bowser said. “But we also want the public to understand that this is not something that can only affect the LGBTQ+ community,” she said. “And we should all understand the basics of the virus and what we need to look out for.”
Nesbitt said the Department of Health was also working on monkeypox services with the D.C. group Us Helping Us, People Into Living, which has provided AIDS related services and other healthcare services for Black gay men and Black transgender women for the past 30 years, according to its website.
Dr. Sarah Henn, Whitman-Walker’s Chief Health Officer, told the Blade that Whitman-Walker began taking steps to test and treat its patients and others for monkeypox as soon as the first case in the U.S. was diagnosed in Massachusetts earlier this year. When asked if the LGBTQ supportive health clinic has had monkeypox patients, Henn said, “Oh yes, we’ve had quite a few.”
She added, “We have quite a few in treatment. And we have others that we’re watching who have more mild disease and we’re watching to see how they do. And we’re testing anywhere from two to seven patients daily for monkeypox.”
The statement released by the mayor’s office and the DOH says the city has so far received 8,300 doses of the monkeypox vaccine and has administered approximately 2,600 doses.
It says that currently, to be eligible for the vaccine in D.C., a person must be a D.C. resident, 18 years of age or older, and fall into one of these categories:
• Gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men and have had multiple (more than one) or any anonymous sexual partners in the last 14 days.
• Transgender women or nonbinary persons assigned male at birth who have sex with men.
• Sex workers (of any sexual orientation or gender).
• Staff (of any sexual orientation or gender) at establishments where sexual activity occurs such as bathhouses, saunas, or sex clubs.
“All residents are invited to pre-register for a vaccination appointment, and those who are not currently eligible will be contacted if eligibility changes and appointments are available,” the statement says.