Community Partnerships Make Public Health More Effective: Learning From the 2022 Mpox Outbreak Response

A VARIANT OF MPOX (THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ALTERNATIVE TO “MONKEYPOX”) caused a global outbreak in 2022 that heavily impacted gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people, especially those with HIV. While imperfect, the public health response to mpox, coming on the heels of an even more problematic response to COVID-19, offers important lessons that must be applied to future public health threats. Mpox has not been eliminated and modeling studies suggest that a resurgence is a possibility this summer. We must use lessons learned—most importantly that public health should focus on community-guided partnerships that promote health as opposed to risk-based communications that foster stigma and shame. As we approach the one-year anniversary of the U.S. outbreak, four key ideas stand out.

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