Last Day with Bureau of Communicable Disease
Several things happened today. Governor Hochul declared monkeypox a state disaster in the hopes of bolstering vaccine efforts. And DOHMH finally changed the prevention guidance on our website (the reason I spoke to NYT). See below. DOHMH is also convening an advisory group (scroll to the bottom).
Previous Prevention Message version
DOHMH LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee
We are writing to invite colleagues who identify as LGBTQ+ to join the DOHMH MPV Advisory Committee that will advise the agency on its response to the monkeypox virus (MPV).
This past week, increasing transmission of the MPV was officially declared by the WHO as a global public health emergency. In NYC alone, there are more than 1,000 cases, with many more undetected as we strive to build awareness and overcome barriers to testing, prevention, and care during this outbreak. MPV has particularly affected gay, bisexual, queer, and other men who have sex with men, and has also been diagnosed among transgender, gender nonbinary, nonconforming, and gender queer New Yorkers. As the city continues to build the response to MPV, the Equity Emergency Response Group (ERG) within the Incident Command System is dedicated to an MPV response that prioritizes the well-being and health of these communities, while preventing further stigmatization of the virus and those impacted by it.