Today, local, state and territory health departments, as well as tribal governments and local non-governmental organizations, can partner and begin submitting requests to access the monkeypox vaccine through the pilot program of recently announced monkeypox vaccine equity. This new pilot program is designed to reach populations that may face barriers to smallpox vaccination, which may include differences in language, location of vaccination sites, vaccine skepticism, government mistrust , lack of access to online programming technology, accessibility/disability issues. , migration status and stigma.
We have a responsibility to address the inequities that have been highlighted by this outbreak, and this program will help make a difference. This outbreak is affecting members of the gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men at a disproportionate rate, and has disproportionately affected black and Hispanic communities. The goal of this program is the distribution of monkeypox vaccines in a way that addresses and reduces these disparities and is a high priority for CDC and our public health partners.”
Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, CDC Director
Up to 50,000 doses of JYNNEOS vaccine have been allocated for the monkeypox vaccine equity pilot program. Successful proposals will demonstrate new and innovative ways to reach populations most affected by monkeypox using local or national data. Projects should prioritize groups:
- with risk factors that increase your chances of contracting or spreading monkeypox,
- who are overrepresented among monkeypox cases and are less likely to be vaccinated, and
- whose barriers to vaccination can be addressed with the proposed activities.
Special consideration will be given to projects that address disparities among Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people who face barriers to accessing vaccines. Examples include pop-ups and other events associated with community-based organizations (CBOs) or clinics that work with MSM and transgender people, particularly those who are Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino, who are not served by current allocations or administration of vaccines channels
This new pilot, which adds to the program of large events, aims to break down barriers and address disparities in communities where differences in smallpox vaccination have been identified. Together, these two pilots allow the federal government to reach as many people as possible with the monkeypox vaccine. If a pilot successfully reaches the intended populations, the jurisdiction will be encouraged to adapt this model for broader implementation with future federally allocated vaccine distributions. This process will allow CDC and its public health partners to determine successful new methods of delivering care to communities most in need, helping to mitigate the effects of the current outbreak and potentially developing replicable methods that can be used to avoid these inequalities in the future as well.
Local health departments and organizations interested in applying should contact state or territory health departments or tribal governments. More information, including application details, can be found here.
Source:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention