US Offers Extra Monkeypox Vaccine Doses For Gay Pride Events – HuntDailyNews.in

September 2, 2022 News Editor

By MIKE STOBBE (AP) Medical Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. will reserve an additional 50,000 doses monkeypox vaccine to be used in areas where there are upcoming gay pride events. Health officials stated Thursday.

The Based on factors such as the size and availability of health workers, the number of attendees, and their risk for contracting the virus, the number of doses to be sent to each area will vary.

“More shots in arms is how we get the outbreak under control,” Bob FentonThe White House Monkeypox Response Coordinator, said reporters Thursday. He This effort is meant to be an attempt at “meet people where they are.”

At In the next two months, there will be at least twelve U.S. pride events, which include large gatherings. Atlanta And New Orleans Early September. Officials from the United States said that they would send as many as 2,000 more doses. North CarolinaWherever possible, Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade This weekend, the event will take place.

Southern Decadence, one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ events, is expected to attract 200,000 or more people to New Orleans Over Labor Day weekend. The Bourbon Street ExtravaganzaOrganisers announced this week that the free concert, “The Monkey Pox,” was cancelled because of monkeypox concerns.

Frank PerezA former grand marshal of parades that is the center of Southern DecadenceA number of them were quoted in New Orleans Gay bars have been vaccinated. He Officials have been able to do a good job so far with the vaccination campaign, however “more is better.”

Dr. Rochelle WalenskyDirector of the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, cautioned: “While These events offer the vaccine to people at high risk. It is a two dose vaccine series. The vaccine received at the event will not protect you.”

Health officials also are urging other steps to prevent the spread of the virus, including temporarily limiting sexual partners.

Monkeypox is endemic in parts of Africa, where people have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals, but it wasn’t considered a disease that spreads easily among people until May, when infections emerged in Europe and the U.S.

There have been more than 39,000 cases reported in countries that have not historically seen monkeypox. The vast majority have occurred in men who have sex with men, but health officials stress that anyone can get monkeypox.

The U.S. has the most infections of any country — more than 13,500. About 98% of U.S. cases are men and about 93% were men who reported recent sexual contact with other men.

Officials say the virus has been spreading mainly through skin-on-skin contact, but they warn it might also transmit in other ways, including through touching linens used by someone with monkeypox.

People with monkeypox may experience fever, body aches, chills and fatigue. Many in the outbreak have developed extremely painful zit-like bumps. No one in the U.S. has died, but deaths have been reported in other countries.

The U.S. has a limited supply of what is considered the main weapon against the virus — a vaccine called Jynneos. The doses are currently being given to people soon after they think they were exposed. Scientists are still trying to establish how well the shots are working.

The government last week moved to stretch the supply by giving people one-fifth the usual dose, injected just under the skin, instead of a full vial injected into deeper tissue.

Many health workers may have little experience giving shots using the just-under-the-skin method, which requires different needles and syringes. Some health departments have started doing that, but some local officials have said they may need a week or more to make the change.

Officials this week announced the release of 442,000 of the smaller doses for order by state, local and territorial health departments. On Thursday, they said more is coming next week — 1.8 million doses, or 360,000 vials.

Officials also announced a new agreement with a Michigan manufacturer to help speed production of 5.5 million vaccine vials recently ordered by the U.S. government.

Under the deal, Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing will help package raw vaccine ingredients currently stored at an overseas facility owned by Bavarian Nordic, which makes the Jynneos vaccine. Officials said the extra capacity should help speed up U.S. vaccine orders, most of which weren’t expected to be delivered until next year. The Biden administration has faced weeks of criticism for not ordering more vaccine sooner.

Also on Thursday, health officials said next week they will boost the supply of TPOXX, a drug for treating monkeypox infections, by 50,000 treatment courses.

AP reporters Rebecca Santana in New Orleans and Matthew Perrone in Washington contributed to this report.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.