Mpox Vaccines Out Of Reach For Many People Who Need Them In US

The New York Times (11/4, Mandavilli) reports, “A particularly deadly form of mpox...has led to more than 48,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths in Africa this year.” The Biden Administration “donated one million doses of the vaccine to affected countries,” but in the US, “mpox vaccines are out of reach for many people who need them.” During “the 2022 outbreak that reached this country, doses of the mpox vaccine, Jynneos, were made available for free from the federal stockpile.” However, “that arrangement ended in April, when the vaccine became available commercially.” Insurance companies do not “cover the vaccine or, if they do, reimburse only a tiny fraction of the cost.” Some individuals “at high risk of mpox, including those with H.I.V., are less likely to have any form of insurance at all.”