Breaking down the latest mpox vaccination survey results

Of the 255 people surveyed at Pride events throughout 2024, about 74% of respondents who have been vaccinated against mpox identified as gay, and of those, 41% identified as Latin American, 36% as White, and 18% as Black. 

The California HIV/AIDS Research Policy and Research Centers released the new survey this month, highlighting characteristics and prevention behaviors of Southern Californians who have been vaccinated against mpox. 

According to the World Health Organization, mpox is an illness caused by the monkeypox virus. There are groups of organisms that share a common ancestor and all of its descendants, called clades. The virus has 2 distinct clades–clade 1 and clade 2, with both of those clades having a and b subclades. During 2022 and 2023, a global outbreak of mpox was caused by the clade 2b strain. 

Today, mpox continues to be a threat globally, with cases caused by the clades 1a and 1b still surging in Democratic Republic of Congo and other countries, raising concerns. 

The Blade spoke with Dr. Ian Holloway, researcher at the Southern California HIV/AIDS Policy Research Center, to get more details on the survey. 

“We recently saw the first clade 1 infection in California, up in San Francisco,” said Dr. Holloway. “It was the first claude 1 infection in the United States and it happened up north, adding some additional urgency to this work.” 

He further explained that though the recent infection in California added urgency to this work, the survey results had been collected over 2024, with specific focus on pooling vaccination data from Pride events across SoCal counties which include Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Orange and San Diego. 

Black and Latin American people are overrepresented in terms of mpox cases in Los Angeles County. 

“There is a higher percentage of mpox cases among those groups, than their representation in the general population. They also have lower vaccination rates, compared to their White counterparts, so our efforts certainly highlight the need for culturally tailored and culturally relevant mpox education and community outreach materials in order to close the gap and provide more robust vaccine coverage, especially for Black and Latinx, queer people.” 

The study found that 67% of those surveyed received the first of 2 mpox vaccine doses during the 2022-23 outbreak, with 91% of those having received both necessary doses. The survey also pointed out that people did not rely on vaccination alone to protect against mpox, because about 20% of respondents also reduced their number of sexual partners or made other behavioral adjustments to reduce the risk of contracting the virus. 

To reduce the risk of infection, 20% of respondents reduced their number of sexual partners, 18% had less group sex, 15% attended fewer sex venues or parties, and 18% had fewer one-time sexual encounters. 

The survey also noted that over half of respondents were ‘somewhat or very concerned about mpox in their community.’ Another point of research in the survey found that 32% of respondents listed social media as their source of information, followed by 30% who listed a health care provider. 

Dr. Holloway, who is also a professor of social welfare at UCLA, said that community input is essential in creating and improving public health strategies to combat mpox infections and raise awareness about the effectiveness of vaccinations. 

This survey was done as a partnership between the research center and StickItin.LA.

“Through StickItIn.LA, we’re creating a platform to listen and connect to those who’ve been directly impacted by mpox and by doing so, we can shape a more inclusive vaccination strategy that addresses both stigma and mistrust,” said Dr. Holloway.