Monkeypox cases in California are increasing, like Santa Clara County reported its first case last month. The patient is said to have traveled internationally.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), many of the cases have recently traveled or had close contact with someone who was infected. Due to that, efforts to trace close contacts and individuals with international travel records who presented symptoms were underway.
Santa Clara County has recently identified groups of people in the county who are disproportionately affected by the monkeypox virus to strengthen critical outreach to them.
Santa Clara County Shows Monkeypox Disproportionately Affects Latino Gay, Bisexual Men
Santa Clara County Outlined its Monkeypox Strategy
Santa Clara County's health department recently outlined their monkeypox strategy and released the statistics of groups disproportionately affected by the virus.
Dr. Sara Cody The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department's top doctor confirmed on Wednesday that about 41% of the monkeypox cases in the county are Hispanic or Latino Gay and Bisexual men; that is compared to Santa Clara County's population that is composed of 26% Latinos. Out of the 39 cases they currently have, 21 are Latinos or Hispanics.
They have been monitoring the virus and keeping data on their cases to understand who is becoming infected, a method they have been using since the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this, they were able to focus more on their efforts of prevention and treatment.
The health department also noted that anyone could get infected with the monkeypox virus, although statistically speaking, many cases are of men having sex with men.
What Makes Latino Gay, Bisexual Men More Vulnerable to Monkeypox Virus
Omar Nunez, the co-founder of the LGBTQ+ community for Latinos and Latinas called Colectivo Accion Latina de Ambiente, told ABC7 News that he is not surprised by the statistics released by the health department of Santa Clara County.
He noted that their group is more gregarious and more likely to stay in groups and family. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Latinos are among the communities that have been significantly impacted.
Nunez added that Spanish speakers need greater outreach than just informing Latino gay and bisexual men about the risks of the monkeypox virus. He pointed out that they need more information among their community, referencing the county's monkeypox vaccine distribution.
Dr. Cody also said that regardless of race, the number of gay and bisexual men contracting monkeypox disease is higher than other groups, and the majority are in their 40s.
Monkeypox Vaccine Doses Needed in Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County confirms having roughly three dozen monkeypox cases and is expecting more than 700 vaccine doses in the coming days, Yahoo! News reported. However, public health officials said that they would need more than that.
Cody noted that the health department has administered 622 doses so far, wherein 611 of them were administered by the county and the rest through large healthcare systems. She continues to advocate for an increased supply of vaccines to prevent further transmission of the monkeypox virus and believes that the State of Emergency would help free up resources.
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Check out more news and information on Monkeypox in Science Times.