The Office of the Bronx Borough President, Destination Tomorrow, and NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (DOH) recently hosted a Bronx Town Hall on the Monkeypox epidemic, as case numbers continued to rise across the borough and city.

 

Livestreamed on Monday, Aug. 15, from New Settlement Community Center in the Mt. Eden section, the event was moderated by BronxNet’s Gary Axelbank, and saw representatives from all three host groups answer questions from concerned citizens about vaccination sites, testing, outreach for populations at-risk and preventative measures.

 

Deputy Bronx Borough President Janet Peguero kicked off the event, saying, “We’ve seen that the cases in NYC are increasing, and although anyone can contract [the disease], the current outbreak has primarily affected networks of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, predominantly in the Hispanic community…again, emphasis on equity.”

 

Peguero continued, “What does this mean for the City? It means that we need governments at all levels to help not only slow the spread, but expand efforts to test, educate, and vaccinate.” She said the borough’s greatest priority was getting more shots in arms and ensuring an equitable distribution of vaccines for all low-income New Yorkers in communities of color.

 

 

“Those most at risk suffer most from our delay in responding to our public healthcare crises,” Peguero added. “There is a lot we have to do. We have to learn, and we must learn from the mistakes that we made early on with the COVID-19 response. We cannot repeat those mistakes today. It is up to us to protect the most vulnerable in our communities,” she said, in part.

 

Sage Rivera, chief development and program officer at Destination Tomorrow, a Bronx-based, nonprofit organization and center dedicated to uplifting and aiding at-risk members of the LGBTQIA+ community, began by saying the LGBTQIA+ community had been left out of the conversation far too many times.

 

He said this was especially so even amid an epidemic that primarily targeted some members of this community. The stigma perpetuated about the community, similar to rhetoric seen amid the AIDS crisis, was also discussed, and the need to combat such stigma was emphasized.

 

“Education is essential, and messaging must be consistent,” Rivera said. “Although this may be an issue prevalent to men that have sex with men, and people of trans experience, this is a skin-to-skin contact disease, and outreach and education should reflect that, and not contribute to stigmas that are very dangerous, and lead to mistakes that have been made in the past.”

 

Indeed, at least one Bronx resident posted in recent weeks on social media how he was insulted by how the transmission of the virus was being described, writing on Aug. 5, “The language that has been used for Monkeypox is disgusting. ‘Men who have sex with other men’ are getting it, instead of saying, ‘people who have multiple sex partners,’ and also including the other multiple ways this thing is spread.”

 

The resident continued, “Some of y’all fell right into the narrative, stigmatizing the gay community like it was 1981 all over again… like all gay men are sexual deviants who just [expletive]. Do better! Do better with your research, do better with your words!”

 

Meanwhile, Rivera said Destination Tomorrow had entered its second week of vaccination coordination efforts and he encouraged members of the LGBTQ+ community to continue to call the nonprofit for assistance with vaccinations. “We’ll make an appointment right there, live and in person,” he said.

 

Before the keynote speaker from DOHMH spoke, Axelbank shared a few words on the department’s work on Monkeypox to date. “In some cases, it’s very difficult to get the City of New York and agencies in the City to be responsive to some of the most difficult problems,” he said.

 

“I won’t list what they might be but what I have found, especially through the last few years of COVID, is that [DOH] has made an incredible effort to do outreach to provide us with information, and certainly through COVID, we really needed a lot of information.” He added that every time he had asked for a guest on his show to talk about a particular angle of the COVID pandemic, the agency had provided “topnotch experts.” Axelbank added, “We have all these wonderful resources and it’s time to continue to coordinate them.”

 

Dr. Madhury Ray from DOH later explained how there is now an emergence of Monkeypox variants and she urged Bronxites to be diligent in keeping themselves, their neighbors and their loved ones safe.

 

“New York City is again the epicenter of an infectious disease, she said. “We have about 2,400 confirmed cases of this disease. We have 310 confirmed cases in the Bronx.” This compared to 472 cases in Brooklyn, 917 in Manhattan, 276 in Queens, 13 on Staten Island, and 2 unknown as of Aug. 15.

 

Ray continued, “When we report these healthcare numbers, I can only report to you what we’ve measured. So, if people don’t access healthcare, if they don’t get a test, we’re not going to be able to measure whether they turn positive or not. That’s something that we’re going to be working on.”

Surprise surprise!

Monkeypox infecting some women and children in WA as outbreak spreads.

Strong 2020 vibes. https://t.co/e7jV9kIL2c

— Pandemic News (@mildanalyst) August 25, 2022

She then explained what the Monkeypox virus looked like when people contracted it, saying it could initially present as a bad cold, fever, and chills, but doesn’t always present like that. “The characteristic of Monkeypox is that it involves spots, like a rash with little discrete spots on it,” said Ray.

 

She explained how “prolonged” skin-to-skin contact is the manner in which the disease spreads, and to look for lesions either on one’s own body or on the body of one’s partner. She said sex was the most common form of transmission, and that New Yorkers should worry less about contracting it, sitting next to someone on the subway, for example.

 

She said those who were over 18 and part of the group considered to be at highest risk of catching the disease were eligible for the vaccine and that vaccine appointments were being offered through both Destination Tomorrow and DOH.

 

It was noted that vaccine supplies could be short, but Ray lauded the efficacy of the vaccine once received, adding that because of its proximity to the smallpox vaccine, which has existed for decades, there was more recorded data and therefore, more was known about the vaccine. She said the Monkeypox vaccine could also be administered following exposure to the virus, and that this would lessen symptoms and offer better protection.

 

According to Ray, there are also mobile vaccine units available to help cater to those marginalized communities, most affected by the virus. Ray added that according to prevailing data, a person who has contracted Monkeypox will not be asymptomatic. It was also noted that animals and pets can also contract the virus. [Since the Town Hall was held, according to a story by The New York Times, Dr. Chloe Orkin, an infectious disease physician at Queen Mary University of London, has said, “It’s no longer correct to say it can’t be transmitted asymptomatically.”]

 

As for how long it took to get better, Ray said, “The incubation period can be up to three weeks. It’s when every one of your lesions [heals]. So, you have to wait until your skin heals up. That can take several weeks.”

 

Her message to the public was for everyone to take the disease seriously and to limit the number of anonymous sexual partners they had. She also asked everyone to be conscientious and compassionate towards others who are at risk or who have gotten the disease.

 

Following the event, Gibson issued a statement, saying, “We are deeply alarmed by the recent data released from [DOH] revealing the stark disparities in the administrating of Monkeypox vaccines to Black New Yorkers, and vaccine-eligible residents in our borough. Vaccine equity has and will continue to be a priority for our administration, and today`s data is a clear indication that more must be done around outreach and education to vulnerable populations.”

 

She added, “We need to understand the root causes reasons behind these disparities and will continue to work with [DOH], our LGBTQIA+ Task Force, healthcare advocates, and other pertinent stakeholders to identify credible messengers that can help us ensure our residents receive the equitable access to care that they deserve.”

 

The latest number of cases in New York City as of Aug. 26 is 2,888. The NY Daily News reported on Friday, Aug. 26, that the first pediatric case of the virus has been identified in the City just as the new school year is commencing. 

 

City health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, said, “There is a juvenile case of MPV (or monkeypox) in New York City. While we understand the concerns of families, we also know that the overall risk of exposure for children in the city remains very low.” The health department said the case was linked to a household contact.

The Seattle Times also reported on Friday that more cases of the virus are being seen in women and children in Washington state. To make a Monkeypox vaccination appointment, call (877) 829-4692 or visit: https://vax4nyc.nyc.gov/patient/s/monkeypox.

 

According to city government officials, due to a limited supply of vaccines from the federal government, vaccines are available only to eligible New Yorkers, which includes those deemed to be a close contact during investigation. (Eligibility here: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/monkeypox.page)

Rashes and sores can have many causes, such as bug bites, pimples, allergic reactions, and other infections. But if families are concerned, they should have their children evaluated by a clinical provider for a rash or illness.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.