CDC says mpox vaccines can protect the U.S. from more dangerous virus: What to know
As concerns mount about a large outbreak of an especially virulent form of mpox in central Africa and an uptick in U.S. cases since early last year, the mpox vaccine appears to give long-term protection, the CDC said.
As concerns mount about a large outbreak of an especially virulent form of mpox in central Africa and an uptick in U.S. cases since early last year, the mpox vaccine appears to give long-term protection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday.
In a separate report, the CDC indicated that overall new mpox infections across the U.S. have remained at a steady, low level — about 60 cases weekly, compared with 3,000 cases a week at the outbreak’s summer 2022 peak — in recent months. However, cases so far this year are elevated nationally compared with the same period in 2023 and have seen a sharp increase in New York City.
People who have gotten two doses of the Jynneos mpox vaccine are protected against infection and don’t need a booster at this time, according to the CDC.
Public health experts are concerned that the launch of the summer travel season and the upcoming LGBTQ Pride festivals in cities across the country will drive greater sexual connectivity among gay and bi men and potentially hasten mpox transmission.
Christina Hutson, chief of the CDC’s Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, and other public health experts told NBC News that this is no time for complacency about mpox (formerly called monkeypox). The various factors that likely have kept the U.S. outbreak relatively in check since late 2022 — including vaccination, infection-driven immunity, and sexual behavioral change — may be tenuous.
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