Protect Their Future Statement on Anticipated Monkeypox Public Health Emergency Declaration

Government must prioritize children, who are one of the most vulnerable to death and serious complications, in plan to protect public from monkeypox 

July 28, 2022– With the anticipated official declaration of monkeypox as a public health emergency, it is critical for children to be in the forefront of discussions about protecting the community from this virus.  Children under 8 have historically had higher rates of death and serious complications like blindness when infected with monkeypox than any other age group and are currently ineligible for the safe vaccine Jynneos, which can be used to prevent the disease.  As schools prepare to start in a matter of weeks, the public needs the tools and strategies to effectively mitigate the virus, and the Biden administration, along with other health agencies, must lay out a plan that prioritizes the health and safety of children as well as pregnant women, who are also considered high risk populations.  Protect Their Future calls for the following:

1. Currently, there is a limited supply of Jynneos, a safe and effective vaccine that can be used for monkeypox.  The vaccine is not authorized for use in children, although the FDA is permitted to grant access to a child under 18 on a case by case basis.  As monkeypox starts to spread rapidly, the FDA needs to offer broader access to this life-saving vaccine for children, given they are one of the most vulnerable populations.  

2. Similarly, the FDA needs to make it easier for children to access therapeutics like Tecovirimat (TPOXX).  There are currently too many barriers for children to receive TPOXX, and in an emergency situation with mass infection rates, there must be easier protocol for health care providers to prescribe these critical therapeutics to their patients.  An Emergency Use Authorization would allow physicians to prescribe the treatment quickly and easily.

3. Schools need support and a plan on how to manage monkeypox.  The virus spreads primarily through contact as well as through aerosols.  Until children can get vaccinated, monkeypox could ravage any school setting.  Families and schools need immediate guidance and options for continuing education in a safe environment.

4. As we saw with Covid, children of color and working families were disproportionately impacted.  Monkeypox has a longer infectious period, and would require longer periods of time away from work and further disruptions.  The government must formulate a plan to ensure the most vulnerable do not suffer further.  There must be a financial safety net that allows families to stay safe, while also guaranteeing that they are able to put food on the table.

We are already two months into detecting the spread of monkeypox, and our health leaders must act urgently to ensure that our most vulnerable are protected.  In addition, as we strive for the best strategy to vaccinate and treat the most vulnerable, it is paramount that we never fall into the trap of pitting one marginalized community against another.  This means that scarcity of a vaccine should never be used as an excuse to target men who have sex with men.  We must ask why an emergency is only now about to be declared as this spreads beyond LGBTQ communities. Our leaders must ensure the safety of all our communities and commit to preventing similar patterns of hate and indifference towards vulnerable communities that we saw during Covid perpetuated in the face of a new virus.  We cannot let history repeat itself.

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About Protect Their Future:

Protect Their Future is a grassroots group of physicians, parents, and activists advocating on behalf of young children and patients to ensure health leaders put kids first in public health policies. Follow us on Twitter at @PTF_org

Previous Press Releases:

Statement by Protect Their Future On Delays On Children Vaccines

Protect Their Future Urges FDA to Speedy Review of Moderna Data for Young Children

Protect Their Future Calls on Incoming FDA Commissioner to Prioritize Children Under 5 and Make Covid Vaccine Accessibility a Priority

The End of Mask Mandates Fails the Youngest and Most Vulnerable

Protect Their Future Decries FDA Decision to Deny Children Safe Vaccine

Protect Their Future Applauds News that Vaccines May be Available for Children Under 5 by Next Month

Physician Coalition Demands FDA Take Urgent Action to Make COVID-19 Vaccines Available to Children Under 5

About Protect Their Future: 

We are a grassroots group of physicians, parents and activists advocating on behalf of our young children and patients to have access to COVID-19 vaccines as the pandemic rages on. As parents, we have waited patiently for our kids to be protected while the rest of the country seems to have put the pandemic behind them. Omicron is the most infectious of all variants to date and early reports are showing potential increased hospitalization in children under 5. With nearly 6,000 cases of MIS-C in children and 1,000 kids who have died of COVID-19 kids under 18, we need to do all we can as parents to protect our children. We currently have the data and science, but bureaucratic and procedural red tape is leaving young children unprotected. We need that to change. We need the FDA and regulatory agencies to PUT KIDS FIRST and allow parents the option to protect their children with a safe and effective vaccine.

Join us on Facebook at Protect Their Future.