Black and Hispanic people are disproportionately affected by monkeypox amid a global outbreak, according to an analysis from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), per CNN.
Among the 2,891 cases reported in the U.S. as of July 22, 54% were among Black and Hispanic people despite making up 34% of the general U.S. population, the agency says. Researchers also revealed that cases among Black people have jumped in recent weeks.
Another statistic emerged from the analysis: 94% of the cases are men who reported recent sexual or close intimate contact with another man.
“Public health efforts should prioritize gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, who are currently disproportionately affected, for prevention and testing, while addressing equity, minimizing stigma, and maintaining vigilance for transmission in other populations,” the authors of the report said.
They also encourage people who have a rash consistent with monkeypox symptoms to get tested for the virus, regardless of sexual or gender identity. These rashes tend to pop up around the genital area or anus, but can appear on hands, feet, mouth, and other parts of your body. Additional symptoms may include chills, fever, exhaustion, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and more.
The World Health Organization declared the monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency in late July amid rapidly rising cases across the globe. The designation means the disease is a big enough threat for international forces to come together for a strategic response. The last time WHO made this kind of declaration was in January 2020 with COVID-19.
As of Wednesday (August 10), there are 9,493 total confirmed cases of monkeypox in the U.S., according to the CDC.
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