San Francisco

Monkeypox Outbreak Disproportionately Affects SF's Latino Community: Health Data

NBC Bay Area

As monkeypox cases continue to rise, NBC Bay Area has learned that the Latino population in San Francisco has been disproportionately affected, according to data from the city's Public Health Department.

Gay and bisexual men are considered the demographic highest at risk for monkeypox. And in San Francisco, Latinos account for nealry 30% of all cases in the city, even though they make up only 15% of the population, according to the DPH data.

The city has reported 215 monkeypox cases as of Monday. Health officials have recommended community members protect themselves amid a limited supply of vaccine doses. On Tuesday, a clinic at San Francisco General Hospital had to close its doors because of a lack of supply. It is still unknown when the clinic will reopen.

Monkeypox spreads via close physical skin-on-skin contact that can occur during sexual interaction. It can also be transmitted by touching objects that have been in contact with someone that has monkeypox, as well as through respiratory secretions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the following ways to avoid being infected with monkeypox:

  • Avoid places of higher risk of skin-to-skin contact (if you are sexually active, if you're a gay, bisexual, or other man who has sex with men)
  • Think about ways to reduce multiple partners or anonymous partners
  • Wear more clothing to avoid skin-to-skin contact
  • Get vaccinated

The CDC acknowledges vaccine shortages but says supply will increase as the year continues and even more so into 2023.

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