MPox 101 - Avoiding an Outbreak Mid-Pandemic

At The Center for Black Health & Equity, we pledge to support a meaningful and community-driven response to this growing monkeypox (MPX) outbreak. MPX has spread to over 88 nations and we are now under a global health emergency according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Recently, on August 3, 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration officially declared MPX a public health emergency in the United States. This critical development aims to free up emergency funding, coordinate a nationwide response, and improve the distribution of vaccines and treatment.

This past week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported 23,499 confirmed cases in the United States and the number is expected to increase. New York and California have experienced the highest number of cases thus far, but other major U.S. states and Puerto Rico are at the helm of this outbreak.

The Center for Black Health & Equity exists to fight for Black lives by helping communities understand root causes of health inequity and come up with solutions to address them. Black and Latino people make up more than a third of all MPX cases in this country, yet only less than 10 percent of Black people are vaccinated for it according to the CDC.

We’ve seen this kind of disparity unravel during the beginnings of the COVID-19 pandemic and though the lesson has not been applied here, there is still an opportunity to address this health inequity.

Listen to podcast host, Natasha Phelps, break down MPX and demystify the stigma connected to it.