Mecklenburg County reports monkeypox hospitalizations, pediatric case
Mecklenburg County on Tuesday identified six hospitalizations due to monkeypox.
The county also reported its first juvenile case under the age of 18.
County Health Director Raynard Washington said officials are still gathering information about the hospitalizations and was unable to share when the hospitalizations occurred, citing privacy concerns.
“We do know that there are some pain control issues and that’s what I’m clear on right now,” Washington said. “We are gathering information about the other areas but we do know that a certain percentage of our cases are immuno-compromised.”
Mecklenburg County has reported 115 cases since the first one was identified in June. North Carolina has identified 250 cases. No deaths in Mecklenburg County have been connected to monkeypox.
The majority of cases are male, and 80% are Black males, Communicable Diseases Director Joy Smith said.
Monkeypox is a virus that can cause flu-like symptoms, skin lesions and swollen lymph nodes. It primarily occurs in central and western Africa, but it has spread across the globe this year to countries that usually don’t see outbreaks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Mecklenburg County, men who have sex with men or transgender people are eligible for the vaccine if they report the following in the last 90 days:
▪ Having multiple or anonymous sex partners
▪ Being diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection
▪ Receiving HIV PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis)
“While anyone can get monkeypox, right now, nearly all cases are among men who have sex with men,” NCDHHS said in a news release.
1 pediatric case as back to school looms
The county confirmed for the first time Tuesday an individual younger than 18 contracted monkeypox. County health officials also reported that out of 100 exposures to monkeypox in the county, some were a result of household and family contacts — not sexual contacts.
“It underscores the critical nature of what we’re doing right now to act quickly, strategically and equitably to contain the outbreak,” Washington said. “Not just contain it, but to end it.”
Washington said vaccine administration has been promising and monkeypox is much harder to spread than COVID-19 — but they’re still preparing for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students to return to school on Aug. 29.
“The messaging sort of K through 12 level is really more targeted at parents and obviously we’ve prepared our school nurses to ensure they know what to look for in terms of signs and symptoms and how to respond if, in fact, a child presents (monkeypox symptoms) on campus at a school,” Washington said.
Monkeypox vaccinations at Charlotte Pride
At Charlotte Pride last weekend, Mecklenburg County Public Health vaccinated 548 individuals as part of a joint-governmental program spearheaded by the Biden-Harris administration. The department vaccinated people from California, Colorado, New Jersey and other states.
“I’m very proud of our team’s efforts this weekend to reach the most at risk residents by simply meeting people where they are,” Washington said.
Mecklenburg County Public Health also worked with bars such as Scorpio’s, Woodshed and Club 321 as well as Black and brown LGBTQ+ party promoters to administer monkeypox vaccines and offer HIV testing.
Charlotte was the first LGBTQ+ event chosen by the White House for the vaccine rollout, and the county was allocated 2,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine.
The vaccines administered at the Pride celebration raised the county’s total doses administered to 3,300, Washington said, and he expects the 660 people on the waitlist to get vaccine appointments this week.
For more information about monkeypox, visit mecknc.gov/healthdepartment.
This story was originally published August 23, 2022 at 4:14 PM.
