LOCALIZE IT: Tips for reporting on monkeypox, vaccines in US

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The World Health Organization recently declared the expanding monkeypox outbreak a global emergency.

It is WHO’s highest level of alert, but the designation does not necessarily mean a disease is particularly transmissible or lethal. Similar declarations were made for the Zika virus in 2016 in Latin America and the ongoing effort to eradicate polio, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

In the U.S., nearly every state has had at least one case, though infections have so far been concentrated in a handful, including New York, California, Florida, Illinois and Georgia. The U.S. has been distributing vaccines to state and local health departments and vows to boost distribution in the days ahead.

Here are some resources and tips for localizing the story:

CASES

Monkeypox is endemic in parts of Africa, but this year thousands of cases have been reported in countries that historically don’t see the disease. Researchers are still exploring how it spreads but believe it's mainly through close, skin-to-skin contact and through contact with bedding and clothing that touched an infected person’s rash or body fluids.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking case counts. Its current state-by-state tally can be seen here: https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/response/2022/us-map.html

Its global case count can be seen here: https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/response/2022/world-map.html

In the U.S. and Europe, the vast majority of infections have happened in men who have sex with men, though health officials have stressed that anyone can contract the virus. A handful of children and a few women are among those who have been infected in the U.S., but health officials believe a lot of spread is happening between sex partners.

There have been no deaths outside the areas where monkeypox is endemic, but some infected people have said they had painful lesions.

VACCINE DISTRIBUTION

Monkeypox is related to smallpox, so much so that vaccine development has been ongoing for years.

In the U.S., there are two licensed vaccines that could be used to try to prevent monkeypox infection — Jynneos and ACAM2000. The country is relying almost entirely on Jynneos, partly because the older ACAM2000 vaccine has been deemed to have too many possible side effects.

The U.S. has been distributing the Jynneos vaccine to state and local health departments. It has pledged to ramp up distribution in the days to come.

The details on which states and major cities have received those doses can be seen here: https://aspr.hhs.gov/SNS/Pages/JYNNEOS-Distribution.aspx. This will allow you to show the amount of monkeypox doses that have been requested and received by your states and cities.

Currently, the CDC is recommending vaccines for people who know they have been exposed to monkeypox or those who have had multiple sex partners in the past 14 days in a place with known monkeypox.

FURTHER REPORTING

Local and state health departments are on the front lines of all communicable diseases and are a top resource.

Because a great proportion of cases have been among men who have sex with men, sexual health clinics in your area are more likely to be seeing monkeypox patients and fielding inquiries about the virus.

The health department and the clinics may be able to talk about how many cases have been seen in your community; how contact tracing efforts are being undertaken and how well they are working; how in-demand vaccines are and whether they have enough to meet the need. Some cities have not had enough vaccine supply and have seen long lines or a shortage, which is another ripe avenue of local reporting if supply and demand have been an issue in your location.

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Localize It is an occasional feature produced by The Associated Press for its customers’ use. Questions can be directed to Katie Oyan at koyan@ap.org.