CNN
Since the beginning of the monkeypox outbreak, scientists and activists have pushed for the name of the virus and the disease to be changed to something non-discriminatory and non-stigmatizing.
Public health experts have worried that stigma could steer people away from getting tested and vaccinated. A new name can help slow the spread of the disease, they say, but it needs to come quickly.
Globally, nearly 60,000 cases have been identified, placing the name monkeypox in individuals medical files. The World Health Organizations director-general promised in June that a change in the name was coming as soon as possible, and WHO said it was working with experts to change the name of the virus, its variants and the disease it causes.
But that was months ago.
Typically, the scientist who isolates a virus gets to suggest a name. The naming of the species is the responsibility of WHOs International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses.
Scientists have been calling this virus monkeypox for 64 years.
In 1958, researcher Preben von Magnus and his team in Copenhagen, Denmark, discovered two outbreaks of a pox-like disease in a colony of crab-eating macaque monkeys that their lab used for polio vaccine production and research.
The first human case of monkeypox wasnt documented until 1970. Scientists discovered a case in a 9-month-old boy in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The child recovered from the monkeypox infection but died six days later from measles. After that, cases of the painful disease were documented in West and Central Africa.
Cases in other places were almost all linked to travel, according to the CDC. But in 2018, the agency noted that over the previous decade, more human cases had been reported in countries that had not seen the disease in several decades. This emergence, it said, was a global health security concern.
The global push for the name change started this year, when an outbreak took off in countries where monkeypox was not commonly found.
The naming process had already been underway to reconsider the names of all orthopoxvirus species, WHO said in an email to CNN, including cowpox, horsepox, camelpox, raccoonpox and skunkpox, as well as monkeypox.
According to WHO taxonomy committee member Colin McInnes, the panel has a mandate to bring virus species nomenclature into line with the way that most other forms of life are named.
Traditionally, poxviruses were named after the animal in which the disease was first spotted, but that created some inconsistencies, he said.
Monkeypox probably didnt start in monkeys. Its origin is still unknown. The virus can be found in several other kinds of animals like Gambian giant rats, dormice and a couple of species of squirrels.
McInnes, who is deputy director and principal scientist with the Moredun Group, which develops vaccines and tests for livestock and other animals, studies squirrelpox which also may be in line for a name change. He has been looking into the feasibility of producing a vaccine against the virus, which can be fatal for red squirrels in the UK.
The current species known as monkeypox virus and the others would then be renamed to orthopoxvirus something, he said in an email to CNN.
It is the something that is currently being debated, McInnes wrote.
He said some scientists would prefer that the monkeypox name be kept in order to retain the link to 50 years of published research. Others would like a totally different name.
The WHO committee has until June 2023 to suggest changes.
In August, WHO announced that a group of experts had come up with new names for the clades, or variants, of monkeypox. Prior to more modern conventions about names, scientists would name a variant for the region where it emerged and was circulating.
Now, to remove any stigma that comes with naming a disease for a region or country, the Congo Basin clade will be called clade I. The former West African clade is clade II. A subvariant, clade IIb, is what is primarily in circulation in the current outbreak.
Many scientists say WHO needs to work with more urgency.
In July, after weeks had gone by no action, the New York City health commissioner sent a letter to WHO, urging it to act in this moment before it is too late. It cited growing concern for the potentially devastating and stigmatizing effects that the messaging around the monkeypox virus can have on these already vulnerable communities.
Since the outbreak has largely affected gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men, stigma has been an ongoing concern for WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus, Tedros said when he declared monkeypox a global health emergency in July.
In the US, the virus is disproportionately affecting Black and Hispanic people, according to the CDC. Local public health data also shows that fewer members of either community are getting the monkeypox vaccine.
Experts are concerned that in addition to the barriers that make access to any kind of health care difficult, some people may not get the vaccine or get tested because of the stigma associated with the disease.
In the WHO 2015 naming conventions, the organization encouraged those who name diseases to avoid places, names, occupations and animals due to stigmatization.
In August, WHO encouraged people who want to propose new names for monkeypox to submit suggestions to its website. More than 180 ideas have been suggested, some with a wide mix of creative explanations.
Some like lopox, ovidpox, mixypox and roxypox had no explanation.
A handful like rodentpox, bonopox and alaskapox may have been facetious.
Johanna Vogl, who submitted greypox, wrote that the name refers to a phenotypic mark of the disease, greyish blisters and is not associated with human skin color nor a location, group or animal.
Other suggestions come with more robust scientific explanations. Dr. Jeremy Faust, an emergency medicine physician at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston and an instructor in emergency medicine at Harvard, suggested changing the name to opoxid-22.
While the monkeypox virus causing the current outbreak is not a novel pathogen, I propose that due to its designation as a public health emergency of international concern, renaming it is warranted, Faust wrote in his proposal. He added that although this particular lineage of the virus seems to have originated before 2022, using this year may limit confusion.
Opoxid-22 reflects whats known about the virus while removing monkey from the name.
Faust said he was bothered by the inaccuracy of the monkeypox name and the stigma it conveyed. But he said he submitted the name when he was waiting for some other work to finish.
Honestly, I was just procrastinating, Faust said.
He said that if WHO picked his name, it could help more people seek treatment, testing and care.
This is important, Faust said. The right name should sound dry, technical, boring, so people arent afraid to say that they have that problem, right?
Rossi Hassad, a professor of research and statistics at Mercy College and a fellow of the American College of Epidemiology, submitted a few names including zpox-22, zopox-22, zovid-22, hpox22 and hpi-22.
His proposal argues that given the uncertainty over where the virus originated, a more general name derived from a zoonosis meaning a disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans would eliminate the word monkey and be more inclusive.
Adding 22 would reflect the year in which scientists learned about this outbreak with unusual and worrisome human-to-human transmission, the proposal says.
Hassad said he was motivated to submit names because the word monkey can carry a lot of negative connotations.
It has been used in racial and racist slurs against certain groups. I think it will be disingenuous not to recognize the damage that that word has done, he said. It is also scientifically incorrect. Its a misnomer. If we want to be scientific, we have to be correct.
Some US health departments arent waiting for WHO, but the change is inconsistent.
San Franciscos Department of Health calls it MPX. Chicagos calls it MPV. Other cities hit hard by the outbreak, including Houston, New York City and Philadelphia, have stuck with the traditional name, as has the CDC.
Daniel Driffin, an HIV patient advocate and a consultant with NMAC, a national organization that works for health equity and racial justice to end the HIV epidemic, said he hopes the name will change. At the same time, he is disappointed that it wasnt until this outbreak, when people outside of Africa were widely affected, that the pushing for the change started.
Its a name steeped in racism. Its a day late and a dollar short. But I support the change and think it will help, Driffin said. Think about the populations who will continue to be impacted disproportionately with this disease. Its been Black and brown folks, so if we can strip racist oppressive tendencies from the nomenclature, I think we have to do that.
But the sudden drop in vaccination rates has local health departments and public health experts concerned the public may be moving on from the threat of monkeypox too soon, leaving unvaccinated people vulnerable and giving the virus an opening to circulate indefinitely.
So far, 461,049 doses of the vaccine have been administered, according to CDC data from 34 states and New York City. Thats 14 percent of the 3.2 million doses needed to fully vaccinate with two shots the 1.6 million people the government said are at high risk.
The shots that have been used have also gone heavily to white recipients, whove received 50 percent of them, compared to 13 percent for Black people, 24 percent for Hispanic individuals, and 9 percent to those in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
Last month, federal health officials said getting vaccines to large LGBTQ events would help stem the outbreak because men who have sex with men make up the vast majority of cases, and also reach Black and Latino communities disproportionately impacted. But the inconsistent results of the pilot project reveal how the landscape is shifting.
Event organizers received enough vaccine to give the shot to 2,000 people at Charlotte Pride earlier this month, but vaccinated 540. In Oakland, 553 people were vaccinated out of 1,200 doses allotted to a Pride event over Labor Day weekend. And in New Orleans, about 3,350 people got shots before and during Southern Decadence, leaving nearly as many doses unused. Atlanta Black Pride had more success, with nearly 4,000 doses administered out of 5,500 allotted.
Local health officials are continuing their outreach at smaller events, but attribute the low uptake at most of the big ones to a variety of challenges, including the weather, the times the vaccines were distributed, and difficulties getting revelers to think about a health care issue while they were having fun.
They also said the numbers may indicate the need for new approaches similar to what happened with Covid shots. After an initial surge of interest dropped off, health departments moved from making as much vaccine available as quickly as possible to holding smaller, more targeted events to educate people about the disease and persuade them of the vaccines merits.
The White House said it never expected all of the doses allocated to big events to be used and will continue to distribute vaccines at upcoming ones, such as the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco.
It also said it will work more closely with local officials and community organizers to figure out how to target harder-to-reach people. Last week, it earmarked 10,000 doses for smaller outreach efforts, part of a pilot program Daskalakis said now aims to reach deeper into communities and to close the gap in vaccination rates among different demographics.
But as the outbreak has started to slow down, with the rate of new cases now in decline, vaccine uptake has also dropped. Since a peak in early August, when 86,816 doses were administered the week after HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra declared a public health emergency, the number of doses used has fallen each week, with 31,229 administered in the week from Aug. 28 to Sept. 3.
Thats concerning at this stage in the outbreak, said Anand Parekh, chief medical adviser at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington, D.C., think tank.
I didnt expect this to drop off as quickly, he said. Even if you assume that this is an underestimate, we still do have a ways to go.
Parekh worries that the apparent slowing of the diseases spread is affecting peoples sense of urgency. I just hope that that doesnt convince people on the fence of getting vaccinated, to say, Well look, cases going down. Its not a big deal anyhow, he said.
As of Sept. 12, 21,894 people in the U.S. have contracted monkeypox, more than any other nation in the global outbreak. The disease can cause flu-like symptoms and a painful rash. Thus far, the variant spreading in the U.S. has not proved as virulent as a strain thats endemic in parts of Africa. The Los Angeles Public Health Department reported the U.S.'s first monkeypox death, of a severely immunocompromised resident, on Sept. 12.
Local public health officials said they support the administrations targeted campaign, but they wonder where the money will come from to expand on it. The White House has asked Congress for $4.5 billion for monkeypox response in the U.S. and abroad, but Republican senators have balked at the price tag.
As a result, some local health departments are scraping together Covid relief dollars to conduct outreach at community-based events.
Its a hard, long slog. Its much easier to say, We opened up a big vaccination center in the Superdome, everybody come. Its super easy logistically to do that rather than, like, OK, every other day were going to be in different tiny little places, said Jennifer Avegno, director of the New Orleans Health Department. But if youre going to put your money into something, I think this is money well spent.
New Orleans learned its lesson in February 2020, when Mardi Gras became the states first Covid superspreader event. City health officials did not want Southern Decadence, a multiday event over Labor Day weekend known as the Gay Mardi Gras, to be a repeat with monkeypox.
In June, local officials started working with their state counterparts to put the event on the CDCs radar. On July 8, they requested additional vaccines to use before and during Decadence. But it wasnt until about two weeks before the event they got word the doses were coming, Avegno said.
We had sort of a doomsday plan of, How are we going to use the little weve got? We had started to really push, push, push, but we were very concerned that we werent going to have any extras to give at large events, Avegno said. It was a little touch and go.
Eventually, New Orleans was given 1,200 vials of the vaccine, equivalent to a maximum of 6,000 doses.
The week before Decadence, the city shut down two blocks in the French Quarter to host a street party Vaxxtravaganza with stilt walkers and a DJ. Between that and other events in New Orleans and across Louisiana before Labor Day weekend, health officials used their allocation to vaccinate about 2,500 people. And at Decadence itself in the rain the city gave shots to 850 people over five days. I would have loved to have given out 1,200 vials, Avegno said. But I think we did just about as well as we could.
Health officials in other cities ran into similar challenges. In Oakland, they battled record-breaking heat while administering vaccines at Pride over Labor Day weekend. And in Charlotte last month, they ran into difficulties convincing people who came to party to take the vaccine.
A lot of folks were not as interested in being vaccinated during the celebration because they were wanting to go drink, they wanted to celebrate, said Raynard Washington, Mecklenburg Countys public health director.
At Charlotte Pride in August, health officials ran into difficulties convincing people who came to the event to take the monkeypox vaccine.|Nell Redmond/AP Photo
Local health officials said they view any event where they were able to give someone a vaccine a success. But they also acknowledge that decreasing interest in the shots means theyre going to need to invest more energy into reaching people through smaller, community-based events just like they did with Covid shots.
Were getting now into the phase where we really have to make sure people that are the most at risk are going to get the vaccine, said Stockton Mayer, a doctor in the division of infectious diseases at UI Health in Chicago.
Mark Del Beccaro, assistant deputy chief of Covid testing and immunization programs in King County, where Seattle is, said that while large-scale events are helpful early on in a vaccination campaign, smaller events are needed to fill in the gaps. Seattle has vaccinated only about half of the 20,000 people it initially identified as being at highest risk of contracting monkeypox, he said, and interest in the vaccine is shrinking.
I think if you combine the two [strategies], yes, you can help address equity issues. If you throw the balls all into one court, its not as good, Del Beccaro said. And if you were going to do that, I would say the smaller group, one that addresses communities of color, is probably more valuable than the big one.
In early August, the monkeypox outbreak in Georgia was unfolding in an alarming pattern: 82 percent of its known cases were in Black men, despite Black individuals comprising 31 percent of the states population.
As Atlanta Black Pride approached over Labor Day weekend, local health officials reached out to A Vision 4 Hope, an Atlanta-based organization that has done health care outreach and testing in the areas Black LGBTQ community for years.
We were in the community that was hit the hardest, and we had built-in relationships, said Jeffery Roman, the groups director of programs.
A Vision 4 Hope received vaccines from the state and for five days administered shots to people in parking lots, local bars, and house parties. We would show up and people were already in line, said Roman. Literally every night we were going to 4 a.m.
In the end, the vaccination drive at Atlanta Black Pride was a success, with more than 70 percent of the allocated doses used.
The White House is hoping the same kind of relationships will help overcome the barriers to vaccination that persist among communities of color. As of mid-August, of the 6,000 or so monkeypox cases for which the CDC had race and ethnicity data, nearly 35 percent of cases were in white individuals, 33 percent were in Hispanic individuals, and nearly 28 percent were in Black individuals.
In the new pilot program, states and local health departments that have used more than 50 percent of the vaccines that have been shipped to them can apply to get as many as 100 vials or up to 500 doses for smaller equity interventions to reach populations that could benefit from monkeypox prevention, Daskalakis said.
He described an equity intervention as what works in your state, county or city to reach people who we may not be reaching, especially people of color and members of the LGBTQI+ population.
On Sept. 6, HHS also announced it was increasing the number of weekly shipments and delivery locations that the monkeypox vaccines and treatment could be sent to from the national stockpile.
That will help broaden vaccine access at smaller locations, said Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers.
She said the lull in vaccination numbers may not necessarily reflect a permanent drop in demand. It may be because some local health departments are only now switching from a post-exposure to pre-exposure vaccination strategy, and that, unlike with the Covid-19 vaccines, medical providers are not required to report to government health officials the doses of monkeypox vaccine theyve given, she said.
What long-term demand for the monkeypox vaccine will look like is hard to say, she said. I dont think anybody has a clear view of what it means right at the moment.
Leigh Blander| Special to Provincetown Banner
White House plans monkeypox action for gay events
The White House said Tuesday it is taking new actions to combat the monkeypox (MPV) outbreak and protect individuals most at risk of contracting the virus by providing additional vaccines to states and cities holding gay events. (Aug. 30)
AP
PROVINCETOWN Provincetown health officials have administered more than 4,350 monkeypox vaccines and anticipate the health emergency will quiet down in the community moving forward.
As we move into the fall, the demand for vaccines here should be minimal, saidAndrew Jorgensen, chief medical officer at Outer Cape Health Services.
Monkeypox is a disease caused by infection from a virus, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can cause flu-like symptoms, swollen lymph nodesand chills. It also causes a rash that looks like pimples or blisters, which can appear on the face, in the mouth, the anus, genitalsandother parts of the body.
The disease is rarely lethal, butcan cause discomfort.
Everybody who has requested a vaccine here in Provincetown has been provided with an appointment, Jorgensensaid.
The medical facilityhas additional vaccines available, if needed, but Jorgensen declined to say how many.
Outer Cape Health Services is one of 15 sites identified by the state as a vaccine center. People looking for a vaccine can call the medical facility at 508-905-2888. Appointments can also be made by visiting the Provincetown center at 49 Harry Kemp Way.
There have been 21,504confirmed monkeypox cases reported in the United States, 347in Massachusetts, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of Sept. 8.
The state Department of Public Health only issues statewide totals on monkeypox cases, unlike town-specific case totals that are released weekly for COVID-19.
More: Is Provincetown safe to visit? Here's the latest on COVID cases, and answers to questions about monkeypox
Outer Cape Health Services has tested a few dozen people for monkeypox, said Jorgensen.
It hasnt been widespread," he said. "Its been limited to a few individuals who even had the possibility of having monkeypox.
And the numbers keep dropping.
Its been several weeks since weve seen any positive cases here in Provincetown, he said.
For anyone who is worried they may have contracted monkeypox, Jorgensen has this advice: contact your healthcare provider to discuss it.
Monkeypox can initially look like COVID, where individuals have a fever and muscle aches, he said.
If youre not feeling well, stay home, Jorgensen said.
If you have monkeypox, it will be fever, malaise, fatigue and within four or five days youll have a rash, he continued. Just stay home.
Jorgensen believes Provincetowns rapid response to monkeypox, and its public education campaign may have helped keep the case numbers low.
The state Department of Public Health on May 18confirmed in a public announcement the firstcase of monkeypox virus infection in Massachusetts in an adult manwhohad recently traveled to Canada.
More: Monkeypox ishitting the gay community the hardest, state official says
The outbreak is part of an international outbreaktraced tothe United Kingdom, Kevin Cranston,the state's public healthdepartment assistant commissioner and director of the Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences, said at the forum June 28, hosted on by the town of Provincetown.
Monkeypox is hitting thegay community the hardest, especially gay and bisexual men, Cranston said at the forum.However, he emphasizedthatall people are equally at risk of contracting it.
Even though there are more cases amongst gay and bisexual men, there is no such thing as a gay disease, he said.
Avoid blaming people for their identity. The virus is to blame, Cranstonsaid.
Provincetown is a hub for LGBTQvisitors during the summer.
More: What's the Provincetown real estate market? Here's what sold last week in Provincetown, Truro, Wellfleet and Provincetown
The disease is spread through skin-to-skincontact, but can also be spread through extensive face-to-face, respiratory contact, though that form is transmissionis less likely.
A person needs to be symptomaticto be contagious, he said. Thatcan include flu-like symptoms and the emergence of skin changes, such as lesions and sores.
Without a doubt, public health education and outreach, coupled with the availability of vaccines earlier than almost every other community helped keep our community safe, Town Manager Alex Morse said.
Beginning at the end of June, the Provincetown health department disseminated nearly 3,000 postcards with QR codes directing people to the towns monkeypox webpage. The postcards went to restaurants, bars and lodgings.
Any way you can convey information to people who need it, you have to take those steps, said Provincetown Health Agent Lezli Rowell. We wanted to give people a quick and simple tool to get information. Everyones walking around with a cell phone and weve all become accustomed to using QR codes.
The town also hosted thepublic forum about monkeypox on June 28.
That was an awesome way to reach a lot of people and reach a lot of people quickly, Rowell said. We had expert voices sharing information that wasnt alarmist, but was real, candid and specific to our situation.
More: Provincetown sewer emergency: Here's how to apply for financial help to repair damages
Provincetown received vaccine doses earlier than many communities. Gerald Desautels, senior development and communications officer at Outer Cape Health Services, said there are two reasons for that.
First, Provincetown did a good job distributing COVID-19vaccines and boosters, ultimately having one of the highest vaccination rates in the state, Desautels said.
Outer Cape Health Services operates nonprofit community health centers in Harwich Port, Wellfleet and Provincetown, treating more than 20,000 people annually, according to the agency's website.
Second,the monkeypox vaccine from the state became available right before the busy July and August summer season in Provincetownand the Provincetown demographic closely matched those most at risk for contracting monkeypox in the community of men who have sex with men, Desautels said.
"We were a logical early choice to get shots in arms, he said.
Staff writer Mary Ann Bragg contributed to this story.
For more information, visit the monkeypox information page provided by the town of Provincetownat https://www.provincetown-ma.gov/1420/Monkeypox-Information.
This is of Satan. If anyone wants to better understand what is happening in this country, Jonathan Cahns new book, Return of the Gods, is very instructive, biblically and historically. He was interviewed by both Greg Hunter and Dr. Dobson last week, giving a good summary of the book.
The basic premise: All cultures post Babel, post flood, were pagan, worshipping a myriad of gods (except Israel, who vacillated between God and the gods). The gods were under the influence of fallen spirits, I.e., demons under Satan.
Only with the spread of the Gospel to the West were these pagan gods (demonically/satanically controlled) driven out of the culture, perhaps lurking on the fringes. Think America its laws and culture with their Judeo-Christian foundation kept demonic influence at bay.
Cahn then tells the parable of the house that was swept of an unclean (demonic) spirit, (Luke 11:25) but left empty, to which the spirit eventually returns with seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and the state of the man was worse than before. Jesus then says: So it will be with this wicked generation, Matthew 12:45. (Without details, many theologians mark the entire church age as A (one) generation).
America,(whose house was clean by the Gospel), in 1962 and 1963, decided to remove prayer and Bible reading out of the schools, starting a slowly moving glacier that resulted in removing God from its house, taking God, His Word, His Ways, out of every possible facet of American life. Into this empty house have now come the hordes of Satan, the return of the gods. The culture itself becomes possessed, and the state of the post Christian West, (including, or led by America) becomes more wicked than its far distant pre-Gospel pagan pasteven seven times more wicked.
It seems to fit very well, watching todays culture and events, an apt description: A world possessed.
Re: dude with monkey pox ooze'ing all over the store guy was obviously scratching his sores thats why there bleeding now his hands are all over the counter and card swiping machine.. the biggest problem is catching this thing from somebody like this and having your family and friends think your a colon camper..
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California Department of Public Health have been monitoring transmission and have seen and increase in reported cases, according to the press release.
"While it's good to stay alert about any emerging public health outbreaks, the current risk of MPX for the general public is low," the California Department for Public Health said.
Monkeypox is described in the press release as "a rare disease" caused by infection with a virus related to smallpox and vaccinia viruses. It spreads through direct, close contact with an infected person.
Monkeypox enters the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract, or mucous membranes after skin or sexual contact, from bodily fluids, or contact with contaminated clothing or linens, according to the press release.
Practicing good hand hygiene; wearing a well-fitted face mask around others; talking with any new partners about health before close or intimate contact; and avoiding contact with sick people and their bedding, clothing, or other materials is highly recommended for reducing the spread of Monkeypox.
The Kings County Department of Public Health recommend persons believing they have been exposed or have symptoms should contact their health care provider as soon as possible.
Experts urge families not to delay getting a flu shot as soon as it's available, which is especially important for kids who may need two doses.
ATLANTA The American Academy of Pediatrics recently released its 2022-2023 influenza vaccine guidelines, recommending that "all children ages 6 months and older be vaccinated for influenza this fall, as vaccines remain the best way to prevent severe illness and keep kids in classrooms."
In addition, the AAP emphasized some kids may need two doses of the flu shot this year for protection.
The guidelines come as doctors see an increase in flu activity reported in Georgia, ahead of the regular flu season.
"We've lost seasonal patterns we're used to," Dr. Matt Linam, with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, explained. "I think it's that long period of time where everyone was isolating at home threw off natural immunity. We have whole cohorts of children that were never exposed to these things in the past."
In addition, the AAP reports flu vaccination levels dropped last year, with only 55% of children vaccinated to protect against influenza.
This year, the AAP urges families not to delay, saying prompt immunization against the flu is vital for kids who need two doses.
CHILDREN WHO MAY NEED TWO DOSES OF THE FLU VACCINE
According to the AAP, kids who should receive two doses of influenza vaccine, at least four weeks apart, include:
All other children should receive one dose this season. In addition, the AAP recommends:
WHEN TO GET A FLU SHOT
"Flu before boo," Dr. Linam said. "It's just a great reminder to get your flu shot in before Halloween, and for families who have children who need two shots, keep that in mind you may want to start earlier because you have to wait a month between the first and second dose."
ST CHARLES, Mo. St. Charles County Department of Public Health is partnering with area organizations for afree, drive-thru flu shot clinic in October.
The vaccination clinic will be held from 2:30-7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, at the Yellow Parking Lot at St. Charles Community College, which is located at 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Dr. in Cottleville.
The vaccines are available to those 6 months and older and an appointment is necessary. To schedule one, go to sccmo.as.me/flufightersor call 636-949-1899.
The clinic will offer two types of vaccines. The quadrivalent influenza vaccine is appropriate for those 6 months and older and protects against the four most prevalent flu viruses expected this season: H1N1, H3N2 and two influenza B viruses.
The high-dose influenza vaccine provides extra protection for those age 65 and older, containing more than four times the amount of antigen than the standard vaccine to strengthen the body's ability to create antibodies. Citing a study by the New England Journal of Medicine, the health department said this vaccine has been shown to be 24% more effective than the traditional influenza vaccination for those ages 65 and older.
For those who are unable to attend the free event, the St. Charles County Immunization Clinic will provide flu vaccinations throughout the season by appointment at 1650 Boones Lick Rd. in St. Charles. Through the clinic, flu shots are $36 for the quadrivalent vaccine and $62 for the high-dose vaccine. To schedule an appointment, call 636-949-1857.
According to the health department, recent studies report that flu vaccination reduced the risk for serious illness by more than 50% and the risk for flu-related death by 31%.
Countries in the southern hemisphere are reporting increased influenza activity during their winter, stated Sara Evers, the health department's acting director, in a release announcing the event. In anticipation of the potential that this year may be more disruptive for us than the past several, the Department of Public Health recommends getting a flu shot now to allow protective antibodies to fully develop before the traditional flu season begins this fall.
Those who would like to help with the event as a volunteer or sponsor are asked to contact the St. Charles County Emergency Planner at 636-949-7554 before Oct. 1.
The health department is partnering with BJC Health Care, SSM Health, St. Charles Community College, St. Charles County CAPS, and the St. Charles County Ambulance District for the event.
For more information and tips for preventing the spread of the flu, visit the health department's website.
OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV)Mask wearing and social distancing are less common now. And there's a warning the flu season will hit harder than in recent years.
"It's not a common cold. It's as serious as COVID," said Dr. Dan Fick, chief medical officer for Hy-Vee.
Doctor Fick said it has been five years since the last tough year of the flu.
"And in the interim obviously we've had COVID. For the last couple years people have done a lot of activities that help mitigate the spread of any respiratory virus," Fick said.
With talk of a bad flu season, we asked Omaha residents, are you concerned?
"No, not at all. I think we've all had too much fear put into us and I've never really been concerned about that. I've just lived and keep on living and try to be as healthy as I can be," said Omaha resident Theresa Gart.
Gart said she has never gotten the flu vaccine or the flu.
"I'll wait and see if I get it. I just try to eat healthy, live healthy, stay healthy, stay clean and neat," Gart said.
But Jessica Charlsen, an Omaha mother of three said she's not overly concerned but they will get their flu vaccines like they do every year.
"Making sure that we're all taking our vitamins and eating and getting our sleep, will just be how we kind of try and avoid it as much as we can," Charlsen said.
Doctor Fick said the concern is the flu impacts the younger population, unlike COVID, which hit older people very hard.
"The influenza vaccine won't prevent you from getting influenza but it dramatically decreases your illness and dramatically decreases your risk of hospitalization and death," Fick said.
And although Charlsen said kids hate getting the vaccine, "What we always say is we don't do it for us. We are doing it for other people so we want to make sure if we are around babies or around older people. We are looking out for them," Charlsen said.
An interesting fact, Doctor Fick said to gauge what our flu season will look like, the experts pay close attention to the Southern Hemisphere right now to see what flu strains are there. He said the best way to stay healthy this winter, get your flu shot and a COVID booster.
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According to a new study provided by WalletHub, Nevada falls last in children and teens receiving the flu vaccine.
The study has compiled data on all 50 states, looking at vaccination rates from a variety of available vaccinations, which seem to be few and far between within the Silver State population.
With 1 being Best and 25 being Average, Nevada falls behind in every category except one, placing 19th in Share of Children Under 6 Years Old Participating in an Immunization Information System.
The rankings for Nevada are as follows:
Currently and in recent years, new outbreaks of previously near-non-existent diseases have begun to rise, including a polio outbreak in New York, measles outbreaks breaking prior records, whooping cough resurfacing after low numbers for decades and more.
While the cause for drops in vaccination rates are largely argued to be a direct result of pandemic complications, how to get individuals vaccinated is contested. While some experts say mandating vaccinations is a public health necessity, some have argued mandates are a threat to individual rights.
The most important step authorities can take in order to ensure wide vaccination compliance is to enforce existing laws that mandate diphtheria, tetanus, DTaP, IPV, MMR, and varicella vaccination as a condition for enrollment and attendance at childcare facilities and schools, said Dr. Purnima Madhivanan, an associate professor with the University of Arizona.Schools and public health authorities can do more than just mandate and enforce vaccination requirements. They should also actively advocate for the adoption of vaccination. School systems should send reminders to parents each school year that children should be vaccinated against HPV, influenza and COVID-19Parents need to know how effective and safe vaccines are at preventing illness in their children. Schools should provide in-school vaccination programs.
You can find the full report, detailing which states are excelling in vaccinations while others fall behind, by clicking here.
