Health inequities continue to drive the public health threat of mpox

The global mpox (formerly monkeypox) outbreak was downgraded from a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organisation on 10 May 2023.1 Members of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee noted a decline in the number of cases being reported globally but also emphasised ongoing uncertainties about the disease and the need for rigorous surveillance. Just days later, a preprint paper from scientists at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported phenotypic resistance to the first line antiviral medication tecovirimat in mpox virus samples from immunocompromised patients in the United States.2Several reports from the US and globally have found that many patients who have died of mpox during this outbreak also had advanced HIV.3,4,5,6 The covid-19 pandemic disrupted HIV/AIDS care globally, creating a particularly challenging set of conditions just before the mpox outbreak emerged.7 Furthermore, access to mpox vaccines and antivirals has been severely…
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