Dr. Blackwell and colleagues will have their original article, “Mpox in the United States: Current Trends and Implications for Public Health Nursing” published in the journal Public Health Nursing. The team behind the work included Drs. Rodney Hicks (Professor & Associate Dean for Research & Administration, Western University College of Graduate Nursing [Pomona, CA, Dr. Humberto Lopez Castillo (UCF College of Medicine and College of Health Professions and Sciences), Dr. Mindi Anderson (UCF College of Nursing) and Dr. Frank Guido-Sanz (UCF College of Nursing). The scientists scoured the data regarding the mpox outbreak in the US, provided close examination of current and past epidemiological prevalence and incidence trends (including vaccination trend data), and provided very important guidance for public health nursing and other clinicians regarding mpox prevention and vaccination. The abstract for the article appears below:
In 2022, mpox, an orthopoxvirus first isolated in 1958 in cynomolgus monkeys, became a global public health threat. While the virus can be communicated through skin-to-skin contact from any infected person to non-infected person, most cases in the United States have been in gay and bisexual men. Consequently, early public health and community-based efforts concentrated on reducing infections in this population. This article explores current mpox case count epidemiologic data and trends. In addition, vaccination indications, contraindications, adverse events, and national administration data are provided along with directions for nurses and other clinicians moving forward in the outbreak.