Monkeypox Vaccines – Photo: Mera Boka, via Dreamstime.
On September 5, the World Health Organization declared that Africa’s mpox outbreak is no longer considered an international health emergency.
The announcement was a relief for many in the LGBTQ community, as one variant, Clade II, spread rapidly among men who have sex with men (MSM). At the virus’s peak, the United States reported nearly 500 cases per day.
The virus causes flu-like symptoms and, most notably, painful rashes, lesions, and scabbing. With an incubation period of 3 to 17 days, many people don’t realize they are infected until visible symptoms appear.
“My doctor said the lesion was killing the tissue inside my face,” said Jeffrey Todd, an American diagnosed with mpox in 2022. “It was literally so traumatizing to me.”
Between January 2022 and March 2025, more than 137,000 mpox cases were confirmed worldwide, resulting in 317 deaths.
The countries with the highest rates of mpox cases include the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi, Sierra Leone, and Uganda. However, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom noted that all have reported sustained declines.
“[We] have a better understanding of the drivers of transmission, the risk factors for severity, and the most affected countries have developed a sustained response capacity,” Adhanom told reporters at a briefing.
Although ending the emergency status declaration is a major step forward, Adhanom emphasized that mpox remains a priority for WHO.
“Lifting the emergency declaration does not mean the threat is over, nor that our response will stop,” Adhanom said.
Amid deep budget cuts to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and a newly proposed $5 billion cut to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many feared mpox control would be undermined, much like recent threats to the PEPFAR program that tackles the global HIV epidemic.
But the federal government recently signed a $56 million order for additional mpox vaccines.
The CDC also currently recommends mpox vaccinations for many within the LGBTQ community.
Eligibility includes people exposed to someone with mpox; those who had a sex partner in the past two weeks who was diagnosed with mpox; men who are gay, bisexual, or MSM with more than one sex partner or a recent STD diagnosis; those who have had sex in the past six months at a commercial sex venue or event; or anyone with a sex partner who meets these risk factors.
The CDC advises contacting a healthcare provider, local pharmacy, or health department to find where the mpox vaccine is available in your area.
Charlie Sheen is opening up about past sexual encounters with men in two upcoming projects -- his memoir The Book of Sheen, out September 9, and the Netflix documentary aka Charlie Sheen, premiering September 10. The Two and a Half Men star gets candid in both about his history of drug use, relationships, and sexual dalliances.
"I flipped the menu over," Sheen says in both the documentary and the book, according to PEOPLE. The actor has previously spoken about his sexual encounters with women during the height of his addiction struggles.
Olympic diving legend Greg Louganis has sold his California home and auctioned three of his Olympic medals as part of a major life change: relocating to Panama.
“As life moves forward, what are you prepared to leave behind?" he wrote in a Facebook post announcing the move. "I am 65 years old, and I am asking just that. I am no longer who I used to think I was."
The decision marks a shift from a 2023 statement in which Louganis said the proceeds would help fund the Damien Center, Indiana’s oldest and largest AIDS services provider, which recently lost government funding for critical health care programs.
CVS Health, which runs the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit manager, will not cover Gilead Sciences’ FDA-approved HIV prevention drug Yeztugo, also known as lenacapavir, an injectable form of PrEP shown to be nearly 100% effective at preventing HIV transmission.
CVS spokesman David Whitrap told Reuters the decision was based on “clinical, financial, and regulatory factors,” citing the drug’s high price as a major concern.
Whitrap added that CVS will also exclude Yeztugo from its Affordable Care Act formularies, noting that its ACA preventive program follows recommendations from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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