Monkeypox is disproportionately hitting Latino communities. Will California protect them?

Latino Los Angeles08/06/2022

1 minute read

Long lines for monkeypox vaccine on July 12 in San Francisco, where the public health department reported that Latinos make up about 27% of monkeypox cases despite being 15% of the county. On Thursday the Biden administration declared monkeypox a national public health emergency, and cases continue to soar nationwide .

With more than 1,300 cases , California is second only to New York in spread of the disease — which transmits via skin-to-skin contact and bodily fluids and can cause painful lesions, among other symptoms.

For Latinos, who make up 37% of monkeypox cases in the state, the impact of the virus has grown deeper.

The San Francisco Public Health Department announced this month that nearly 27% of its monkeypox cases are among Latinos despite their making up 15% of the county. Further south in Santa Clara County, 41% of cases are among Latinos even though they make up 26% of the county’s population. (Latinos currently appear to have fewer cases than expected in L.A. County relative to their population share, but that could be an undercount , as happened for COVID cases in L.A. and elsewhere.)

As more data of California’s monkeypox cases gets reported, Latinos, especially those in the […]