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EMBARGOED FOR USE UNTIL: 1 P.M. (EDT) ON JUNE 6, 2024 Newswise — While mpox cases have sharply declined since the 2022 global outbreak, they continue to occur in the U.

S. among gay and bisexual men who have sex with men (GBMSM), according to a UCLA-led study from EMERGE ncy ID NET, a multisite surveillance network funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Though no cases were found in women, children or the unhoused, vigilance and vaccination remain important, the researchers write.



The findings will be published June 6 in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is an infection endemic in Africa that is transmitted by skin-to-skin contact. The infection causes fever and painful skin blisters, and is usually self-resolving, but rarely causes death in immunocompromised individuals.

In 2022, there was a global outbreak that primarily affected GBMSM, with more than 30,000 cases reported in the U.S. Cases sharply declined by late 2022 due to public education efforts and vaccination.

However, concern for mpox’s reemergence persists because of low vaccination coverage among GBMSM and incomplete knowledge of risk among other groups, including women, children and the unhoused. There have been recent local outbreaks in major metropolitan areas, including Chicago and Los Angeles. The new study was conducted from June through December 2023.

Of 196 enrolled persons, about 45% were female, 20% were children and 10% had.

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