ADDIS ABABA ETHIOPIA, 05 September 2022 The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in collaboration with UNICEF, WHO and other key stakeholders, through the Saving Lives and Livelihoods programme in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, is hosting a continental workshop for managers in the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI),to track progress towards achieving the 70 per cent vaccination target by the end of 2022, while reaching most vulnerable groups and strengthening countries health systems and routine immunization.
This workshop will provide an opportunity for learning best practices and sharing experiences among Member States with the support of experts from Africa CDC, UNICEF, WHO and other partners. The event will also identify opportunities for continental change of policy and strategies to accelerate the scale-up of COVID-19 vaccination with a focus on achieving 100 per cent coverage among high-risk groups, and to recover, if not surpass, pre-pandemic routine immunization coverage.
Despite recent progress in global COVID-19 vaccine coverage, Africa continues to report the lowest COVID-19 vaccination uptake, with 22.1 per cent of people fully vaccinated compared to other regions globally. Most countries have coverage below 20 per cent compared to a global average of 60 per cent. Additionally, in most African countries where data is available, the COVID-19 vaccination coverage among the high-priority population, including Health workers, elderly people, adults, and children with co-morbidities, remains low.
African Union (AU) Member States are facing various challenges to rolling out COVID-19 vaccination, including, among others, the limited health workforce to implement accelerated vaccination strategies within an already strained health system and the low uptake of vaccination particularly among the most vulnerable groups due to a low risk-perception about the disease in most communities as hospitalizations and deaths plummeted.
According to UNICEF and WHO, the pandemic has grossly set back childhood immunization on the continent. Nearly 12 million children in Africa have missed out on vaccination in 2021 and were made vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases. Essential immunization service coverage dropped in all AU regions between 2019 and 2021. This resulted from the pandemics associated disruptions, in addition to strained health systems due to COVID-19 vaccination efforts. This is the largest backslide in childhood vaccinations in decades.
The continental workshop will gather delegates (i.e., National Managers of COVID-19 Vaccination programmes and National EPI Managers) representing all 55 Member States of the AU and partners alike to take stock of the progress on COVID-19 vaccination, share experiences to overcome critical bottlenecks towards 70 per cent coverage by the end of 2022, while strengthening countries health systems and routine immunization. The event is scheduled to take place from 6-8 September 2022 at theAU Commission in Addis Ababa.
About the Africa CDC
Africa CDC is a continental public health agency of the African Union whose role is to strengthen the capacity and capability of Africas public health institutions and partnerships to detect and respond quickly and effectively to disease threats and outbreaks based on data-driven interventions and programs. For more information, please visit: http://www.africacdc.org;
Follow Africa CDC on social media: (Tweeter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc.)
About the Saving Lives and Livelihoods Initiative
The Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative is athree-year, US $1.5 billion partnership between the Mastercard Foundation and Africa CDC, designed to save the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in Africa and hasten the economic recovery of the continent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. TheSaving Lives and Livelihoodsinitiative is committed to acquiring vaccines for more than 65 million people, supporting the delivery of vaccinations to millions more across the continent, and laying the groundwork for vaccine manufacturing in Africa by focusing on human capital development, and strengthening the capacity of Africa CDC.
About the Mastercard Foundation
The Mastercard Foundation is a Canadian foundation and one of the largest in the world, with approximately $40 billion in assets. The Foundation was created in 2006 through the generosity of Mastercard when it became a public company. Since its inception, the Foundation has operated independently of the company. Its Board determines the Foundations policies, operations, and program decisions. For more information on the Foundation, please visit: https://mastercardfdn.org/faq-saving-lives-and-livelihoods/
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the worlds toughest places, to reach the worlds most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.Follow UNICEF onTwitterandFacebook
Media Contact
Africa CDC
G. Nekerwon Gweh, Communication Officer, Division of Policy, Health Diplomacy and Communication; Africa CDC | Tel: +251 945 502 310 | Email: GwehN@africa-union.org
Mastercard Foundation Nonye Mpho Omotola
Lead, Health Communications, Human Capital Development nomotola@mastercardfdn.org
UNICEF Office to the African Union and ECA
Mr. Derrick Ochuot
Communication and Advocacy Officer,dochuot@unicef.org
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For the past two years, start-of-school rituals and routines have been waylaid by virus surges, public health concerns, quarantines and overall uncertainty.
Will things be different this fall? So far, it looks to be the case.
Schools have been opening up across the country with relatively low fanfare in the first three weeks of August. Our regular review of 100 large and urban districts finds that all those that have started classes are in-person. None have reported closures due to COVID outbreaks. It appears that perhaps students are settling into something like the old sense of normal.
However, this is not a normal year. It follows a school year of multiple unanticipated virus surges, ongoing changes to health and safety policies, and dramatic reports of chronic absenteeism and staffing shortages.
While students and families are eagerly anticipating a simpler start to this year, its not clear that they are receiving adequate information about what to expect should another deadly variant arise.
Our review finds that just 55 have shared updated handbooks or websites that outline health and safety policies for the 2022-23 school year. Of those that have published information, its clear that districts are jettisoning many of the protective measures that they endorsed just months ago.
As of the third week of August, just one district in our review has a mask requirement in place. In Louisville, Kentucky, Jefferson County Schools has kept a mask requirement in place, dependent on the community infection rates. Masking is required for students and staff until the county is no longer in the red (high) level. The district updates its masking status at the end of each week on its website.
In Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Public Schools has adopted a similar approach, linking its mask policy to community COVID levels. At the time we recorded our data, the districts community infection level was medium, which allowed individuals to remove masks while participating in performances so long as they take weekly COVID tests . The infection rate has since risen to high, meaning that, like Jefferson, Pittsburgh now requires everyone to wear a mask in schools.
All other districts in our review have removed ongoing mask requirements. A small number four do mandate them for specific circumstances.
Related:Analysis: Community Health, Vaccination Policies & Local Preference How 100 Districts Are Reopening After COVID-19 Shutdowns
In Nevadas Clark County School District and the Hawaii Department of Education, staff or students returning to school after a confirmed positive COVID diagnosis must wear a mask. Individuals in Clark County who have been exposed to the virus are required to mask up as well. In Virginia, Richmond Public Schools requires masks but allows parents to opt out on behalf of their children, and South Dakotas Sioux Falls School District will require students showing symptoms of the virus to move to an isolated area of the school building until they can be picked up and taken home. While they wait, anyone who comes in contact with them is expected to wear a mask.
Fewer districts are also requiring vaccinations this school year, with 10 maintaining strict policies for their staff just a third of the number that mandated staff vaccinations just six months ago.
All the districts requiring vaccinations in 2022-23 had a mandate in place the previous school year. Most, like Boston Public Schools and the New York City Department of Education, are continuing their policies from last year. Others, like Marylands Montgomery County Public Schools, have shifted their rules over time.
Montgomery County alternated between requiring vaccines for all staff and allowing regular testing in lieu of vaccination last fall, and landed on a policy that allowed employees to opt out and undergo weekly testing. This fall, it is opening the school year with tighter language that states: MCPS currently requires staff to submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination or documentation of a medical exemption. Employees who request an exemption must undergo regular testing.
Atlanta Public Schools does not require employee vaccinations, but all staff must undergo weekly testing. It is the only district in our review that has adopted this strategy.
Just two districts in our review require COVID vaccinations for students. D.C. Public Schools mandates them for students 12 and older, and New York City requires students to be vaccinated if they participate in high-risk extracurricular activities or sports. Several California districts scaled back student vaccine mandates planned for July 2022 after the state granted an extension until July 2023.
No district has a policy in place requiring testing for all students.
Signs in these first weeks of the academic year look positive that schools are moving toward the most normal start to a year since the virus took the country by surprise in early 2020.
As new data paint an increasingly grim picture about the toll the pandemic, school closures and continuing operational uncertainty in schools took on learning, attendance and staff morale, this is welcome news. CRPE will release a comprehensive State of the Student report in September, compiling more data on student learning and well-being since the pandemics start and highlighting potential solutions for the road ahead.
While masks, testing and vaccines remain important strategies for containing the virus spread, district leaders appear to be giving them less priority than last year. This suggests they recognize that the public has grown more tolerant of COVID and less willing to accept measures designed to stop its spread. In other words, district leaders appear to be calculating that the political and logistical costs of keeping last years safety measures in place do not outweigh the value of a normal year with fewer disruptions.
That does not mean districts can afford simply to return to pre-pandemic ways of doing business. Families, staff, and students need continued clear communication about what to expect as schools return to traditional schedules and expectations, and they deserve to know what to expect if rising viral caseloads or other unanticipated events threaten the stability of yet another school year.
This year presents an opportunity for public school systems to regain families trust. Some districts are taking this to heart, sharing clear and careful plans for the future. Sadly, others have already fallen silent.
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In this file photo taken on Feb. 22, 2010, then Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama looks at a panel presented during questions in the House of Representatives Budget Committee in the Diet. (Mainichi)
In July, former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama posted on Twitter that he had heard from a doctor that the World Health Organization (WHO) had acknowledged the hospitalization rate for people who had been vaccinated was three times higher than those who hadn't been, and the tweet spread. But there is no published WHO data that backs up this claim, and the WHO itself effectively denied it when approached by the Mainichi Shimbun. The information in the post is false.
-- Digital Minister Kono says former PM spreading misinformation
Hatoyama tweeted the information on his official account on July 13. He said he was "astonished" to hear it from Dr. Takuji Shirasawa, head of the Shirasawa Anti-aging Medical Institute. Hatoyama also referred to U.S. pharmaceutical firm Pfizer, which is developing vaccines. His post read as follows:
"I was astonished by what I heard from Dr. Takuji Shirasawa. He said that the WHO had acknowledged that people who have been vaccinated are three times more likely to be hospitalized than those who haven't been. It was also announced that there had been whistleblowing that Pfizer had deleted a large amount of data. I've heard about vaccine interests before, but it's now clear that this is not the kind of thing that can be dismissed as a conspiracy theory."
As of Sept. 2, Hatoyama's post had been retweeted some 27,000 times, and received 52,000 likes. The tweet elicited various replies such as, "Everyone knows this so they're not getting vaccinated," and "Thank you for posting this," as if those users were taking the post seriously. At the same time, others questioned the claim, replying, "Where is the source for this?" and "Are you saying that vaccinated people have been fooled?" Digital Minister Taro Kono, who previously served as the minister in charge of vaccinations, commented that the former prime minister was "spreading misinformation" and asked "What on earth happened?"
-- WHO effectively denies claim
The Mainichi Shimbun searched news releases on the WHO's official site using the terms "covid-19" and "vaccin" (the first letters of the words vaccine, vaccinated and vaccination), and found 95 applicable items (as of Sept. 2), but none of them contained information matching the content in the former prime minister's tweet.
The Mainichi Shimbun additionally asked the WHO by email if the post saying that the "WHO acknowledged that people who have been vaccinated are three times more likely to be hospitalized than those who haven't been" was true or not. The WHO quoted a statement released on June 17 and said that vaccines at present were highly effective against serious ailments and death for all mutations of the coronavirus.
But what about Pfizer, which the former prime minister said had received an internal complaint about the deletion of a large amount of data. Pfizer's Japanese arm merely told the Mainichi Shimbun that it had not confirmed any announcements indicating that people who have been vaccinated are more susceptible to hospitalization, and from current data, it was evident vaccinations were effective in preventing serious illnesses. Regarding the whistleblowing, the company said it was aware of such a claim. Pfizer Japan said it was disclosing the information it could about the vaccine in its press releases.
-- No response from former PM Hatoyama
The Mainichi Shimbun sought a comment from former Prime Minister Hatoyama through the East Asian Community Institute, which he presides over, but it had not received a response by the deadline on Aug. 29. A Shirasawa Anti-aging Medical Institute representative said Dr. Shirasawa had "no comment."
(Japanese original by Moe Yamamoto, Digital News Center)
Sep 5 2022
There has been a noticeable difference between the outbreak of monkeypox in 2022 (MPXV-2022) and previous outbreaks. The previous outbreaks led to a small number of infections and were mostly localized, whereas the current outbreak has led to more than 53,000 confirmed cases in more than 100 countries within a few months of the first report on 7th May 2022. The monkeypox outbreak of 2022 was declared a global health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 23rd July 2022. Phylogenetic analyses of genomic sequences obtained from samples that were collected from at least 15 countries reported the West African clade of MPXV (MPXV-WA) to be involved in the 2022 outbreak. However, this is unusual since this clade has a historically low outbreak-causing potential.
Study: Vaccinia-Virus-Based Vaccines Are Expected to Elicit Highly Cross-Reactive Immunity to the 2022 Monkeypox Virus. Image Credit: NIAID
Vaccines based on the vaccinia virus (VACV), which were initially developed against smallpox, can be used to prevent and control monkeypox. Three prominent VACV-based vaccines are available, including first, second, and third-generation vaccines. The use of first-generation vaccines such as Dryvax is not recommended against MPXV due to safety concerns. However, second-generation vaccines such as ACAM2000 are relatively safer compared to first-generation vaccines and can be used against monkeypox in the US.
Currently, one third-generation vaccine, Bavarian Nordics modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA-BN), is recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as WHO, primarily for high-risk groups. MVA-BN is also a VACV-based vaccine but cannot replicate in humans and therefore is safer than the previous generation vaccines. However, the availability of MVA-BN is currently limited.
Although these VACV-based vaccines have been observed to show differences in safety profiles and replication, they have been reported to produce strong T-cell responses and high neutralizing antibody titers. Some previous studies also indicated their cross-reactive and protective immune responses against different MPXV. Although MVA-BN and ACAM2000 have been found to prevent MPXV infections, those studies were conducted using the Congo Basin clade of MPXV (MPXV-CB). There is limited data to support the efficacy and cross-reactivity of these vaccines against the MPXV-WA clade responsible for the current outbreak.
A new study published in the Viruses journal aimed to investigate the cross-reactivity of VACV-based vaccines against the MPXV viruses responsible for the 2022 outbreak.
The study involved downloading complete genome sequences of MPXV-2022, genome reference sequences of MPXV-CB and VACV, and reference sequences for MVA-BN, Dryvax, and ACAM2000 vaccines from several databases for multiple sequence alignment. Assessment of the cross-reactivity of the vaccines was carried out using the VACV reference sequence since it served as a representative of the VACV-based vaccines. In addition, pairwise sequence alignments were carried out to detect genetic similarities.
The data on VACV-derived T cell and B cell epitopes were obtained from the Immune Epitope Database (IEDB). Identification of eight VACV proteins was carried out that served as targets for neutralizing antibodies in humans, while 121 VACV proteins were identified as targets of T cells. Finally, the visualization of VACV protein crystal structures was carried out.
Mapping mutations observed in MPXV-2022 and MPXV-CB on the structure available for VACV (A) H3L [PDB ID: 5EJ0] and (B) D8L [PDB ID: 4E9O] surface proteins. The core structure of each protein is shown in gray, while mutations and their labels are colored according to the scheme in the legend.
The results reported approximately 84% genetic similarity between MPXV-2022 sequences and VACV reference sequences. The sequences were found to contain about 13% insertion/deletion (indel) and 3% single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which is equal to 27.5 k indels and 6.5 k SNPs. A 94 to 98% genetic similarity was observed for the eight identified immunogenic proteins between VACV as well as the MPXV-CB reference sequence and MPXV-2022 consensus sequence.
The same site of mutations was observed in 4 of the 8 proteins between VACV and the two MPXV sequences. D8L and H3L were found to be the two proteins with the highest number of mutations that were similar to VACV. Moreover, all the common and unique mutations were observed to be exposed and, therefore, can be targeted by neutralizing antibodies.
Furthermore, a high degree of genetic similarity was also observed between T cell epitope associated 121 proteins of VACV with both MPXV-CB and MPXV-2022. 71.6% of VACV-derived T cell epitopes were found to have exact similarities with both MPXV-CB and MPXV-2022. However, genetic variation was observed in over one-quarter of the T cell epitopes between VACV and both MPXV orthologs. Additionally, 89.2% of the T cell epitopes were observed to be identical between MPXV-CB and MPXV-2022.
Therefore, the current study demonstrated a high degree of genetic similarity between the current MPXV-2022 and MPXV-CB. Furthermore, the genetic similarity was also observed between these two MPXV orthologs and the VACV reference sequence. This suggests that the currently available VACV-based vaccines can protect against MPXV-2022. However, further studies are required to determine the efficacy of these vaccines against MPXV-2022.
The current study has certain limitations. First, further experimental studies are required to confirm the genetic conservation of immune factors among viruses related to each other. Second, the study does not include the immunodominance hierarchy of proteins that can detect the impact of protein mutations.
Parents reported 6 percent of young children were unable to do normal activities after second dose
In a CDC survey of over 13,000 children, more than 55 percent of the subjects between the ages of 6 months and two years had a systemic reaction in response to their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, the CDC said on Sept. 1.
A systemic reaction is a response beyond the injection site. The CDC said almost 60 percent had a systemic reaction to the second dose of the Moderna vaccine.
While the most common systemic reactions were fatigue, fever, irritability, and crying, parents of more than 6 percent of the children in the study said their child was unable to perform normal activities after the second dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine.
The CDC collected the data through a program called V-Safea smartphone-based monitoring system that operates through an app that parents download to their phones.
Between June 18 and Aug. 21, parents of more than 10,000 young children reported reactions to the CDC through V-Safe in the seven days after their child received aCOVID-19 vaccination.
Parents of 8,338 children ages six months to 2 years who received the Moderna vaccine reported information through V-Safe, with 55.7 percent reporting a systemic reaction after the first dose and about 58 percent after the second dose. For the Pfizer vaccine, parents of 4,749 children ages six months to 2 years submitted reports showing that 55.8 percent had a systemic reaction after the first dose and about 47 percent after the second dose of the vaccine.
The most frequently reported reactions for children six months to 2 years were irritability or crying, sleepiness, and fever. The most common reactions for children aged 3-5 years were injection site pain, fatigue, and fever.
The data also showed a more serious reaction category labeled any health impact.
About 10 percent of all children six months to 2 years were reported to have a health impact after getting their first dose of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. For the Moderna vaccine, slightly more children had a health impact after the second dose; for the Pfizer vaccine, it was slightly less.
The information was presented to the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Sept. 1 as part of an overview of all data related to the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.
In addition to V-Safe, data was presented summarizing reports from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and the Vaccine Safety Data Link (VSD), which includes data from several large health maintenance organizations in the United States.
All three systems look at the safety of vaccines after theyve already gone to market and have been administered to large numbers of people.
Tom Shimabukuro, the head of the CDCs vaccine safety team, headed the presentation and told committee members that no statistical signals of COVID-19 vaccine reactions were found for young children in the VSD data.
Shimabukuro also said that systemic reactions were commonly reported following vaccines.
However, other medical professionals like Dr. Meryl Nass from Childrens Health Defense have expressed caution over the reported reactions, pointing to the high number ofsystemic reaction reports among very young children.
She told The Epoch Times on Sept. 2 that she was questioning why the government doesnt collect and present more information on these cases.
That stuff is not considered by the CDC to be very important Its assumed that all those side effects go away after a few days and leave the people perfectly well, she said, mentioning the fevers and fatigue. Those reactions may in fact may be harbingers of more serious reactions, but nobody to my knowledge has published anything looking at whether these acute local or systemic reactions are indicators of a later problem.
The FDA approved the emergency-use authorization of COVID-19 vaccines for children aged six months to 5 years on June 17.According to the CDC, about 599,460 children in this age group have received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and about 440,770 have received the Moderna vaccine.
From June 18 through Aug. 31, approximately 1 million doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines were administered to children in this age group.
In a review of the VAERS data on young children from June 18 to Aug. 31, the CDC had 496 reports of adverse events for children aged six months to 4 years who received the Pfizer vaccine and 521 for children aged six months to 5 years who received the Moderna shot, with an adverse event defined as a possible side effect.
Over 98 percent of reports were for what the CDC considers non-serious events.
There are 220 reports of persons aged six months to 5 years of age being taken to the emergency room following a COVID-19 vaccine. In one case involving a 2-year-old boy in Arizona, the VAERS report says he was given the Pfizer vaccine on July 29 and on July 30 had a life threatening episode.
The report lists his symptoms as clammy skin and vomiting leading (8 minutes) to difficulty breathing. The boy turned blue, was limp and non-responsive, and fully stopped breathing for two minutes, according to the report.
He was revived after chest compressions.
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Matt Ford, an actor-writer-singer based out of Los Angeles and New York, is one of the first known monkeypox patients to share his story publicly on social media.
Ford on June 27 shared a TikTok video posted to Twitter on what it was like to have monkeypox, weeks before it was declared a national public health emergency.
So my names Matt, I have monkeypox and you dont want it, he says. And I can tell you what its like to have it, because I currently do, as you can clearly see.
Ford points to small, red spots in the stubble on his face as well as on his arms and hands, sharing that he counted more than 25 in all, including some in more sensitive areas. Those, he said, tended to be the most painful.
As in it is so painful I had to go to my doctor and get painkillers just to be able to go to sleep, he said in the post titled Monkeypox PSA.
He experienced sore throat, cough, fever, chills, sweating at night and swollen lymph nodes before these rashes.
Its shared in an open and conversational way filling a void when most health officials, due to privacy concerns, will only share minimal information on confirmed cases. Ford has since been featured in media stories nationwide, including CNN and The New York Times, offering a voice for patients.
The Hawaii Department of Health has so far reported 25 cases of monkeypox in the state since early June, with the latest two identified Friday. The number has doubled over just the past month, but there is scant information locally on what the illnesses have been like firsthand.
Hawaiis first monkeypox case was reported June 3 in an Oahu adult resident who had traveled to an area with confirmed cases, and was subsequently hospitalized at Tripler Army Medical Center.
Monkeypox cases have since been identified in all four major counties, with the count including three nonresidents.
The only information shared by DOH is whether they are adult residents or nonresidents, island of detection and connections to travel or earlier cases. Most cases have been described as mild to moderate.
Its one thing to know theres a monkeypox outbreak happening, said Ford in his post. Its another to know exactly what that means for someones body and particularly what that means if it happens to a friend or to you.
Ford, admitting he is not a doctor, has since posted anecdotal advice online, adding that this experience might be awful, but it is temporary.
Community outreach
As the number of cases continues to grow exponentially across the U.S. and the globe, health officials are walking a fine line between reaching out to those most affected while being careful not to stigmatize a marginalized community.
According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, 99% of U.S. cases occurred in men, 94% of whom reported recent male-to-male sexual or close intimate contact. The median age is 35, according to a CDC report.
Given that gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men are disproportionately affected, CDC said, public health efforts should prioritize the demographic for prevention and testing.
Walter Enriquez, founder of Gay Island Guide, is using his broad social media platform to help with outreach to the LGBTQ community.
I feel a sense of responsibility to take care of our LGBT community, said Enriquez, who advocated for getting the vaccines out sooner rather than waiting.
In mid-August, Enriquez hosted a tea time talk-story with DOH on his Instagram Live broadcast to field questions on monkeypox, including vaccinations and the newly approved technique which administers the Jynneos vaccine under the skin instead of into muscle tissue.
The federally approved technique allows administrators to offer up to five doses per vial, expanding the number available for vaccines in limited supply. DOH said vaccines administered intradermally provide the same, high level of protection from the monkeypox virus.
Gay Island Guide also partnered with the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center to offer vaccinations at one of its recent events a Splash-Inn Pool Party in Kapolei. Out of about 150 attendees, Enriquez said about 30 received a vaccination shot.
He is exploring other opportunities to offer vaccines at upcoming events, and posts information at a dedicated web page at gay islandguide.net/monkeypox.
Ive been a very strong advocate for getting vaccines out, said Enriquez, who received a Jynneos shot at the pool party.
Enriquez is encouraging people to get the vaccines now because Jynneos is administered as two shots, with at least four weeks in between. Although a person who receives the vaccine will start to build protection after the first dose, peak immunity kicks in two weeks after the second dose. DOH is taking appointments for second doses.
Getting vaccinations now, he said, would be ideal in advance of the Gay Bowl in early October, and Honolulu Pride events, which are returning in mid-October, with a parade and festival in Waikiki.
Enriquez said the LGBTQ community overall is receptive to the vaccines because of history.
Even during COVID, LGBT nationally was one of the highest percentages to go out and get their vaccine, he said. They learned from HIV/AIDS decades ago, being stigmatized as a gay disease, they learned that lesson. They tend to be a little more reactive and responsible when it comes to public health.
While the communitys reaction was here we go again, especially with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Enriquez said there is no panic at this point.
Hawaii risk remains low
DOH continues to say the risk to most Hawaii residents remains low, but acknowledges that the virus is in the community since not all of the 25 cases can directly be linked to one another.
The state, which has administered more than 2,000 doses of Jynneos to date, recently expanded eligibility for the monkeypox vaccine.
Eligibility is available to those who have had close contact with someone with known or suspected monkeypox in the past 14 days; gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men and transgender individuals who have multiple or anonymous sex partners; and people with severe immune compromise and a household member of a sex partner at high risk for monkeypox.
Additionally, those in certain occupational risk groups, including lab and health care workers at risk of exposure, are eligible for the vaccines.
Minors also can get vaccinated with parental consent, DOH said, which previously limited the vaccines to those ages 18 and older.
DOH says in its news releases that current cases, both nationally and in Hawaii, are primarily spreading among social networks of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. However, anyone who has close contact with someone with monkeypox is at risk of infection, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The virus does not discriminate, said Tim McCormick, director of DOHs Harm Reduction Services Branch during a recent forum hosted by the Hawaii Health & Harm Reduction Center.
This is not about someones sexual orientation, he said. Anyone exposed to it can get monkeypox. Its not about who they are, its about that exposure.
At the same time, it is critical to DOH that clear messaging is getting to the people most impacted, and the forum encouraged people to discuss monkeypox with friends and family at risk and what they can do to prevent it.
If you are at risk for monkeypox, get vaccinated, he said. Please dont let stigma prevent you from doing that. Support other people in our community. Dont let that stigma or shame take any hold.
How virus spreads
According to CDC, monkeypox is primarily spread through skin-to-skin contact with infectious lesions, which can occur during intimate contact or touching linens or towels used by someone with monkeypox.
DOH says monkeypox also can spread through large respiratory droplets, which cannot travel more than a few feet, so prolonged contact is required.
Health experts say it is not spread so much through a casual handshake or public surfaces, and that it is less contagious than COVID-19.
Scientists are still researching whether the virus can be spread by someone with no symptoms, how often it is spread through respiratory secretions and whether monkeypox can be spread through semen, urine or feces.
Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 in research monkeys in Denmark thus, the name although the source of the disease remains unknown.
The first human case was identified in an infant boy in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970, according to the World Health Organization. Prior to the recent international outbreak, the disease occurred primarily in Central and West Africa.
In 2003 the first monkeypox outbreak outside of Africa was in the U.S. and linked to contact with infected pet prairie dogs that had been housed with Gambian pouched rats. CDC reported 71 cases in several states, including Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio.
The U.S. confirmed its first case announced May 18 in a man in Massachusetts.
Infection often begins with flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, chills, exhaustion and swollen lymph nodes in the neck, underarm or groin area, followed by rashes that initially look like pimples or blisters.
These rashes can occur on the face, inside the mouth and on the hands, feet, chest, genitals or anus.
Changing trends
But not all cases in this outbreak are following classical descriptions. CDC said some people get a rash first, followed by fever or other symptoms, while others experience only a rash.
There might only be a few lesions or a single lesion and other atypical symptoms, including anal pain and rectal bleeding, which have frequently been reported in the current outbreak.
The latest CDC technical report on monkeypox, updated Thursday, shows recent signs the rate of growth is slowing.
Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist and assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, noted the doubling time of the outbreak has slowed from eight days to 25 days, similar to trajectories seen in Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom.
But there are still uncertainties due to reporting delays and missing data, and states that were hit early, such as California and New York, are slowing while other states, like Virginia and Indiana, are picking up steam.
Although the majority of monkeypox cases remain concentrated in gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM), cases are increasingly being reported in other populations, she noted in a Force of Infection newsletter.
Men with no recent male-to-male sexual contact made up about 20% of cases in recent weeks, while women and people of another gender identity made up a small, but growing slice of total cases. The CDC report also noted seven confirmed and 45 probable pediatric cases in the U.S.
On July 23, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern. Shortly after, on Aug. 4, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared monkeypox a public health emergency.
Globally, there have been more than 53,000 confirmed cases in 100 locations and 15 deaths, according to the CDC. Across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, as of Friday, there have been nearly 20,000 confirmed monkeypox and orthopoxvirus cases.
Monkeypox vaccines
Appointments for Jynneos vaccines for monkeypox are available via DOH by calling 808-586-4462 or online at health.hawaii.gov/docd/mpxvax. Other providers of the Jynneos vaccines include:
Oahu
>> Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center (Waianae and Kapolei), 808-427-0442
>> Hawaii Health & Harm Reduction Center (Honolulu), 808-521-2437
>> Kaiser Permanente (Mapunapuna), 808-432-2000, prompt 1
Maui
>> Malama I Ke Ola Health Center, 808-871-7772
Kauai
>> Malama Pono Health Services, 808-246-9577
Hawaii island
>> Hamakua-Kohala Health, 808-930-2751
6 things to know about monkeypox
>> It is part of the same family of viruses as variola virus, the virus that causes smallpox. Monkeypox is not related to chickenpox.
>> Despite being called monkeypox, the source of the disease is not known. Its discovery in 1958 in monkeys kept for research in Denmark led to the name monkeypox. WHO is holding an open forum to rename the disease.
>> It can spread to anyone through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact, including direct contact with rashes or respiratory secretions of a person with monkeypox or clothing, bedding or towels used by someone with monkeypox. A pregnant person can also spread the virus to their fetus through their placenta.
>> Symptoms usually start within three weeks of exposure. Monkeypox can be spread from the time symptoms start until the rash has healed, all scabs have fallen off and a fresh layer of skin has formed. The illness typically lasts two to four weeks. In most cases symptoms go away on their own.
>> It is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can spread between animals and people. CDC recommends anyone with monkeypox to avoid contact with pets during home isolation. Pets that had close contact (petting, shared sleeping areas and food) with a symptomatic person should be kept away from other animals and people for 21 days after the most recent contact. There has been a single report of sick people transmitting monkeypox to a pet dog.
>> FDA has approved the Jynneos vaccine for monkeypox. Jynneos contains a weakened vaccinia virus related to monkeypox and smallpox viruses that cannot replicate in human cells. Two doses are administered at least four weeks apart. Vaccines can protect people against monkeypox before an exposure or prevent the development of the disease if given within four days of exposure. If given four to 14 days after exposure, vaccination may reduce symptoms of the disease. Peak immunity is expected 14 days after the second dose.
Source: WHO, CDC, Yale Medicine
If the corona infection increases, a new vaccine may come in the future
The outbreak of the virus has not stopped yet. Two waves of corona epidemic have passed. Scientists around the world are still researching to eradicate this virus. Meanwhile, health experts have talked a lot about the corona vaccine issue. Experts say that the corona virus will never end. Scientists are working on an updated vaccine to keep people safe.
It will also protect against viruses for a long time
Dr NK Arora, Chairman of the National Technical Advisory Group on the Kovid-19 Vaccination Scheme, also hinted at this recently. Dr. Arora says that there is a concept about the next generation vaccine of Kovid that we will not have to give repeated doses of the vaccine. The next-generation vaccine will be one that not only protects against viruses that have appeared so far, but also protects against viruses that appear in the future for a longer period of time.
Dr. Arora said that the updated vaccine of Corona should also have the ability to protect against future variants of Kovid. Some people are going even further and making strain-based vaccines. Some researchers are preparing to mix two types of virus together or four types of virus.
After covid stroke, heart disease increased!
Health experts say that after the second wave of Corona epidemic, the cases of heart and brain related diseases are also increasing in post-Covid conditions. Dr. Narayana Health. Deviprasad said that during the second wave of corona epidemic, there has been a surge in brain and heart related diseases. More cases of brain or heart clots are coming to light in patients who have been victims of Kovid infection.
