This is the first of what will be a weekly NMAC newsletter on the latest developments in the monkeypox (MPV) epidemic. Production of this newsletter is supported by a grant from Gilead Sciences to NMAC to serve as the coordinating center for the policy response to MPV. These newsletters are intended for service providers, people living with or at risk of MPV, and policymakers at the federal, state and local levels. Each newsletter will provide updates on the latest data pertaining to MPV, especially as it relates to public policy. These newsletters will center the individuals and organizations most heavily affected by MPV, profiling people living with or at risk of MPV as well as the organizations that are contributing to the fight against this national health emergency.
Why NMAC is helping lead the fight against MPV
NMAC leads with race in the effort to end the HIV epidemic in the U.S. This focus demands that NMAC become engaged in the fight against MPV. Gay/bisexual men – the population most heavily affected by HIV – account for at least 94% of people with MPV. People living with HIV make up 41% of people diagnosed with MPV.
As in the case of HIV, the communities of color for which NMAC advocates are disproportionately affected by MPV. Black and Latinx people account for about one-third of the U.S. population but for 54% of people with MPV. In Georgia, Black people account for 33% of the state’s population but for 82% of the state’s confirmed MPV cases.
Just as people of color are markedly less likely than white people to obtain PrEP or to achieve HIV viral suppression, Black and Latinx gay/bisexual men are being left behindin early efforts to roll out MPV vaccines. In the case of MPV, leading with race means immediate action to ensure equitable access to the prevention of MPV, timely treatment of MPV, and MPV vaccination.