Updated June 7, 10:52 a.m.
The head of California’s sexually transmitted disease control branch is sounding the alarm for health care providers to be prepared for a possible resurgence of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, this summer.
In a letter published May 30, Dr. Kathleen Jacobson noted that mpox continues to spread in California, and “other states have recently reported a resurgence of mpox cases,” including an outbreak in Chicago, where 13 people, many of whom were vaccinated, got the disease.
“As 2023 spring and summer season gatherings approach, we encourage you to maintain a high level of suspicion and a low threshold for testing individuals with signs and symptoms consistent with mpox,” Jacobson said, in the letter to health care professionals.
Since the majority of mpox cases have been reported in gay and bisexual men who contracted the disease after intimate contact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently recommend mpox vaccination for men who have sex with men (MSM), women who have a sexual partner who could be exposed and anyone else who could come in contact with the virus, including laboratory workers. The disease can also be spread through non-sexual close contact.
A global outbreak of the disease was declared in May of 2022 and it was referred to as monkeypox until November of that year, when the World Health Organization changed the name to mpox in response to racist and stigmatizing language proliferating online.
Local, state and federal officials were also criticized last year by activists and health care professionals, who called for additional vaccine doses to be made available and distributed more quickly. This year, more people are eligible to receive the shot and supply is not limited. California residents can find a clinic to get the shot for free on the state’s MyTurn website.
Since May 2022, over 5,700 people in California have been diagnosed with mpox and 250 have been hospitalized, according to the state’s public health dashboard.
Counties have cumulatively administered over 300,000 vaccines, but in her letter, Jacobson said only 39% of people most at risk have received the two-dose regimen. Black and Latino people, who are disproportionately infected with the disease, lag behind other groups when it comes to getting vaccinated.
Despite some recent cases of vaccinated people getting mpox, the CDC and California Department of Public Health maintain that the shot prevents more serious infection. Recent studies have shown the two-dose Jynneos vaccine series is between 66% and 86% effective at preventing mpox among at-risk people.
Sacramento LGBT Center brings the shot to the bar
On the wall of his cubicle, Kevin Arciga, Mpox Vaccination Manager, has a whiteboard with past and upcoming vaccination clinics written in alternating blue and purple. Since March, Arciga has been working to increase vaccination rates in Sacramento County.
This spring, Arciga organized clinics at the Sacramento anime convention, the Mexican consulate, Sacramento City College and gay bars like The Bolt in North Sacramento.
“It’s best to have these things available in places where people are already going to be,” Arciga said. “People aren't necessarily there to get a vaccine, but especially with something like this, it's like, why not?”
About 11,500 doses of the vaccine have been administered in the county since April 2022, according to the center’s Director of Health Services, Christi Gray, but they believe thousands of people only received one dose. People who have completed the two-shot series do not need to get a booster at this time, according to Gray.
A third of the vaccines were distributed at events hosted by the Sacramento LGBT Community Center, located in Midtown’s Lavender District. Arciga says the center, along with Pucci’s Pharmacy in East Sacramento, are touchstones for the community.
“[Last year] we did see a few cases here in Sac County,” said Arciga. “We didn't see as many because of how fast Pucci’s and the center were able to mobilize and kind of get people vaccinated.”
Kevin Arciga, mpox vaccination manager for the Sacramento LGBT Community Center, stands in his office and holds up a tank top that reads "got vaxxed?" in Sacramento on May 31, 2023.Kate Wolffe / CapRadioCurrently, the national Wastewater SCAN tool shows no mpox circulating in the Sacramento region, but Gray says they’re keeping alert.
“We won't know until summer when everybody starts getting together more frequently and the exposure potential goes up,” said Gray.
In the meantime, the center will be set up at Sacramento’s Pride Festival on June 10 and 11, distributing free vaccinations.
Check out this guide from KPCC’s LAist for more FAQs about preparing for Pride with mpox in mind.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly listed the dates of Sacramento's Pride Festival. It has since been updated.
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