Monkeypox Death: U.S. Must Step Up Vaccine Rollout, Says AHF

Following the first U.S. death officially attributed to monkeypox and reported in Los Angeles County, AHF now expands its call for public health officials to ramp up vaccine rollout and prevention messaging nationwide

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), which has been sharply critical of Los Angeles County leadership in its handling of monkeypox, is now expanding its call on government and public health officials everywhere to greatly scale up vaccine rollout and prevention messaging nationwide.

AHF’s call follows report of the first death officially attributed to monkeypox in the United States, which was reported by Los Angeles County officials. Politico reported that the Los Angeles County Public Health Department confirmed the death earlier this week and noted “The resident ‘was severely immunocompromised and had been hospitalized,’ the department said Monday, …”

“AHF previously criticized Los Angeles County’s Public Health Department for taking a top-down approach to managing the monkeypox epidemic, dictating to the community rather than enlisting those community groups as partners in the effort to combat monkeypox. This tragic first U.S. monkeypox death underscores the need for health officials everywhere to dramatically scale up vaccine distribution and prevention messaging,” said AHF President Michael Weinstein. “While infection numbers have been plateauing, it’s critical that we enlist the public’s help and provide them the tools they need to stay safe and healthy. It’s time we all put the ‘public’ back in public health.”

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 1.6 million individuals in 45 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth, follow us @aidshealthcare or subscribe to our AHF podcast “AHFter Hours.”

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220913006300/en/

While monkeypox infection numbers have been plateauing, it’s critical we enlist the public’s help & provide them with the tools they need to stay safe and healthy--vaccines and prevention messaging. It’s time we all put the ‘public’ back in public health.