Monkeypox Clinical and Policy Update
This is the sixth in a series of clinical and policy updates on the monkeypox virus. We also have a page dedicated to monkeypox updates on our website. Check back for relevant webinars and resources. The CDC monkeypox website is also a good resource for updated information related to monkeypox.

Monkeypox can spread to anyone through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact, including:
  • Direct contact with monkeypox rash, scabs or body fluids from a person with monkeypox
  • Touching objects, fabrics (clothing, bedding or towels) and surfaces that have been used by someone with monkeypox
  • Contact with respiratory secretions
Monkeypox Updates

On Sept. 8, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released “HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Persons with Monkeypox—Eight U.S. Jurisdictions, May 17 – July 22, 2022” in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). Data in this report show people with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are disproportionately affected by monkeypox. The findings highlight a critical opportunity to use established HIV and STI care and prevention delivery systems for monkeypox prevention efforts. Click here to learn more.

On Aug. 25, The New England Journal of Medicine published “Monkeypox Virus Infection in Humans across 16 Countries — April–June 2022," which highlights the potential for atypical clinical presentations of monkeypox that are not included in typical case definitions.
The authors recommend consideration of monkeypox in at-risk persons presenting with traditional STI symptoms. Click here to learn more.

On Sept. 1, the CDC released “Technical Report 2: Multi-National Monkeypox Outbreak, United States, 2022.” The report provides updates to the CDC’s ongoing response to the monkeypox outbreak in the United States, including preliminary results and new analyses to inform further scientific inquiry. Click here to read the full report. Click here to learn more.

A Sept. 1 Politico article, “Biden administration weighs saving monkeypox doses for potential smallpox outbreak,” discusses the balance involved in providing sufficient Jynneos vaccine to quell the current outbreak while maintaining a sufficient stockpile of the vaccine in the event of a smallpox outbreak. Click here to learn more.

The CDC’s Sept. 2 MMWR “Strategies Adopted by Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men to Prevent Monkeypox virus Transmission — United States, August 2022” reports on behavioral changes because of monkeypox. Non-stigmatizing messaging and equitable vaccine access continue to remain priorities. Click here to learn more.

On Sept. 6, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a new $20 million contract with AmericsourceBergen Corp. that will significantly expand the number of locations nationwide being supported with direct federal shipments of TPOXX treatment, Jynneos and ACAM200 vaccines. Click here to learn more.
ANAC believes in leading with science and evidence. Health misinformation is a threat to public health and should be addressed with patients and clients when it occurs, including addressing monkeypox misinformation and myths.
  • The U.S. Surgeon General released an advisory on “Confronting Health Misinformation” in 2021. Click here to learn more.