A Rutgers Health survey of LGBTQ+ individuals in New York and New Jersey reveals that cisgender men, gay individuals and full-time employees had the highest rates of vaccination for Mpox, a viral disease formerly known as monkeypox. The study in the Journal of Community Health sheds light on vaccination behaviors and access during the 2022 Mpox outbreak.
The results from 2022 appear as health officials warn of a potential resurgence of Mpox cases. In 2022, the disease disproportionately affected men who have sex with men, leading to a targeted vaccination campaign that appears to have maximized vaccination among those who faced the highest infection risk.
“We were able to add questions about whether or not people had heard about Mpox, how concerned they were, and then when the vaccine became available that July [2022], we added a couple of additional questions about whether they were vaccinated,” said Kristen Krause, an assistant professor at Rutgers University’s School of Public Health and lead author of the study.
The research team surveyed 253 LGBTQ+ adults in New York and New Jersey, with a subset of 144 participants answering additional questions about vaccination status and access. The study population was predominantly white, full-time workers who identified as gay or lesbian. To read the full story.