Abstract
Background:
Black/African-American communities are disproportionately affected by detrimental social determinants of health, which increases adverse health outcomes among these groups. In DeKalb County, the mpox outbreak predominantly affected Black/African-American residents, particularly those in the LGBTQ+ community.
Methods:
DeKalb County case data for 6/12/22 to 12/7/22 were obtained from the State Electronic Notifiable Disease Surveillance System. JYNNEOS vaccination data for 7/11/22 to 12/2/22 were obtained from the Board of Health’s electronic medical records. RStudio was used to analyze data by gender identity, HIV status, and race.
Results:
Overall, 414 mpox cases were reported, of which 97.1% identified as male, 47.8% were living with HIV, and 7.0% were hospitalized. While Black/African-American residents represent 54.6% of DeKalb’s population, they comprised 78.5% of mpox cases, 82.8% of mpox cases living with HIV, and 93.1% of hospitalized mpox cases.
DeKalb County of Board of Health administered a total of 5,530 first and second doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine. A total of 2,618 doses (47.3%) were administered to DeKalb County residents, of which 37% of doses were administered to Black/African-American residents and 52% of doses were administered to White residents. The vaccination rate for Black/African-American residents was 130 per 100,000 people for the first dose and 107 per 100,000 people for the second dose, while the rate for White residents was 265 per 100,000 people for the first dose and 260 per 100,000 people for the second dose.
Conclusion:
To improve equity, closer to 80% of vaccinations in DeKalb should be administered to Black/African American individuals to correspond to their proportion of mpox cases. Additional efforts should be made to increase vaccine accessibility for Black/African-American residents. Prioritizing education and vaccination efforts in communities with high mpox burden is an important step towards addressing the gaps in vaccine equity.
Keywords:
Mpox; Vaccination; Black/African-American population; LGBTQ+; Health equity
Keywords
Mpox; Vaccination; Black/African-American population; LGBTQ+; Health equity
Included in
Identifying DeKalb County’s disparities in 2022 mpox cases versus vaccination rates to achieve vaccine equity
Background:
Black/African-American communities are disproportionately affected by detrimental social determinants of health, which increases adverse health outcomes among these groups. In DeKalb County, the mpox outbreak predominantly affected Black/African-American residents, particularly those in the LGBTQ+ community.
Methods:
DeKalb County case data for 6/12/22 to 12/7/22 were obtained from the State Electronic Notifiable Disease Surveillance System. JYNNEOS vaccination data for 7/11/22 to 12/2/22 were obtained from the Board of Health’s electronic medical records. RStudio was used to analyze data by gender identity, HIV status, and race.
Results:
Overall, 414 mpox cases were reported, of which 97.1% identified as male, 47.8% were living with HIV, and 7.0% were hospitalized. While Black/African-American residents represent 54.6% of DeKalb’s population, they comprised 78.5% of mpox cases, 82.8% of mpox cases living with HIV, and 93.1% of hospitalized mpox cases.
DeKalb County of Board of Health administered a total of 5,530 first and second doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine. A total of 2,618 doses (47.3%) were administered to DeKalb County residents, of which 37% of doses were administered to Black/African-American residents and 52% of doses were administered to White residents. The vaccination rate for Black/African-American residents was 130 per 100,000 people for the first dose and 107 per 100,000 people for the second dose, while the rate for White residents was 265 per 100,000 people for the first dose and 260 per 100,000 people for the second dose.
Conclusion:
To improve equity, closer to 80% of vaccinations in DeKalb should be administered to Black/African American individuals to correspond to their proportion of mpox cases. Additional efforts should be made to increase vaccine accessibility for Black/African-American residents. Prioritizing education and vaccination efforts in communities with high mpox burden is an important step towards addressing the gaps in vaccine equity.
Keywords:
Mpox; Vaccination; Black/African-American population; LGBTQ+; Health equity
