As mpox cases grow elsewhere, officials encourage safety ahead of White Party Palm Springs

As new mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) cases have been reported in Chicago, some are concerned about another possible wave of infections impacting men who have sex with men. Locally, many are looking to White Party Palm Springs, often cited as the largest gay circuit party in the United States, to try to encourage safe practices as people from all around the country will come to the desert this weekend.

On Monday, Howard Brown Health, an LGBTQ-focused health care center in Chicago, reported eight new cases of mpox since April 17, all among men who have sex with men. Among these, one person was unvaccinated, one had received one dose of the two-dose Jynneos vaccine, and six were fully vaccinated, according to NBC News. All eight cases were labeled mild.

"At least these were mild cases, and we don't want those really horrendous cases to come about anymore," Dr. Phyllis Ritchie, an infectious disease specialist and founder of PS...Test, said.

In the nearly three months before April 17, the Chicago Department of Public Health reported one new mpox case, also diagnosed at Howard Brown. Last week’s case rate was the highest in Chicago since early November 2022 and the highest weekly new case rate in any U.S. region so far this year, according to the health care center.

In an April 13 report from the World Health Organization, 206 new mpox cases (a 0.2% increase in total cases) and four new related deaths have been reported since March 30. Cases have stemmed from France, east Asia and the Americas.

Diagnosed cases have been “increasing slightly” in eight countries in the past three weeks, including France and several countries in east Asia, said Dr. Rosamund Lewis, the technical lead for mpox at the World Health Organization. About half of the recent French cases were in vaccinated people.

Mpox can be spread through close contact with skin lesions or bodily fluids of infected animals or humans (alive or dead), including droplets. The virus can also be spread through sexual contact, but it is not classified as a sexually transmitted infection. Mpox can infect anyone, but it has disproportionately affected men who have sex with men.

Symptoms start within three weeks of exposure and include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, rash and lesions often in the genital and perianal region. Illness typically lasts for two to four weeks.

The most recent mpox case reported in Riverside County Public Health was in December 2022, county spokesperson Jose Arballo Jr. said. As of April 20, there have been 316 reported cases since the mpox outbreak began in spring 2022. The City of Palm Springs makes up nearly half of all cases with 147 reported.

But with the three-day LGBTQ+ music festival White Party coming up, which typically attracts more than 30,000 attendees, Ritchie is worried about local effects.

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"Other countries were not all proactive as the United States was in getting out the vaccine," Ritchie said. "People are coming from all over the world and being sexually active, and you just don't know anything about anyone's status."

The Jynneos vaccine was approved in 2019 by the Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of smallpox and mpox in people ages 18 and older. In addition to possibly preventing mpox, the vaccine may also lessen symptoms in people who have been exposed. The vaccine consists of two doses taken one month apart, and a person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second shot.

Despite more than 1 million vaccine doses being administered nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that only 23% of the at-risk population has been fully vaccinated. With White Party Palm Springs and several other Pride events coming up, health officials are urging those at higher risk of mpox to get vaccinated.

Riverside County Public Health is partnering with White Party Global to host a Jynneos vaccine clinic at the Palm Springs Hilton Friday through Sunday. First and second doses of the vaccine will be available. The public health department has also partnered with Desert Oasis Healthcare, community health care centers in the Coachella Valley and mobile teams to increase Jynneos availability with additional walk-in clinics leading up to larger events, Arballo Jr. said.

"Public Health is always working to slow or stop the spread of illness, and large-scale events do present challenges. Because of collaboration between Public Health, health-related organizations and community leaders, there has been a great amount of education concerning mpox, how it spreads and how to prevent it," Arballo said. "This was critical last year when we did not see any significant increase in mpox cases following large-scale events in the Coachella Valley."

To find upcoming vaccine clinics, visit ruhealth.org/upcoming-vaccine-clinics. A list of Jynneos vaccine providers can also be found at ruhealth.org/mpox-vaccine-locations.

Ritchie added that people should be "really careful with who you're sexually active with."

Anyone who believes they have been exposed to the virus should contact their health care provider.

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: White Party Palm Springs: Officials encourage safe practices amid mpox