TAMPA, Florida — Mpox outbreaks are disproportionately affecting gays, bisexuals and men who have sex with men (MSM), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC says more than 30,000 cases have been diagnosed in the U.S. since May 2022, mostly among LGBTQ+ communities. Although in recent months the diagnoses have declined to one case per day, vaccination coverage varies.
The potential risk for those communities in the Tampa Bay area to experience a reoccurring outbreak is high, CDC says.
Officials have said the virus can spread through close personal contact, and via towels and bedding, according to earlier reporting from The Associated Press. That means it can happen in homes, likely through prolonged or intensive contact, Dr. James Lawler, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, told the AP.
County health departments across Florida are offering the Jynneos vaccines to people considered high-risk for the virus, including those who are HIV positive, and others who fit certain criteria. In the Tampa Bay area, like places elsewhere across the country, the availability of the vaccine varies as demand outweighs supply.
Symptoms of the virus include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills and more. Most people with monkeypox get a rash, and it may be painful.
