The state Department of Health reported one additional case of MPOX in a nonresident diagnosed on the island of Oahu, the fifth case diagnosed in Hawaii so far this year.
A total of 51 MPOX cases have occurred in Hawaii since June 22, 2022, according to a news release issued by the Department of Health on Thursday.
Health officials are recommending that people at high risk for MPOX infection consider getting the two-dose JYNNEOS vaccine, which is available statewide.
Laboratory tests on the latest case revealed it to be MPOX clade II, the type that caused the current global outbreak that began in 2022, according to the Ministry of Health.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently increased surveillance for MPOX lineage I activity in Africa, including an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. “In the current outbreak, MPOX lineage I has not been detected in the United States or Hawaii, but it can cause more severe illness and death. In some outbreaks, nearly 10% of those infected have died, although the mortality rate has been lower in recent outbreaks,” the Department of Health said.
“While the risk to the U.S. public from an outbreak of MPOX lineage I in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is very low, for those at high risk for MPOX infection, JYNNEOS vaccination is the best way to protect against both MPOX lineages I and II.”
People at high risk who should consider getting vaccinated include:
>> Individuals who meet both of the following criteria:
Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, and transgender people who have sex with men.
b. Having multiple sexual partners or casual sexual partners (e.g., via dating apps) or anticipating future development of this MPOX risk.
>> People who have a sex partner who falls into any of the above categories.
>> Anyone who has had close contact with a person with confirmed or suspected MPOX infection in the past 14 days.
>> People with severely weakened immune systems.
>> People who fall into any of these categories and have received only one dose of the MPOX vaccine.
The Department of Health said people at high risk for MPOX should complete the two-dose vaccination series this summer to protect themselves from infection during Pride events in the fall of 2024. The full series will take a minimum of four weeks to complete.
County health departments and health care providers continue to vaccinate high-risk individuals. To find a provider, Hawaii State Department of Health.
