HEALTH INEQUITIES

Black Men Disproportionately Infected by Monkeypox in Georgia, Early Data Shows

According to data from the state’s health department, which provides a racial breakdown for 74 percent of total cases, Black people make up 82 percent of those cases.

Preliminary data from Georgia shows that Black men are much more likely to be affected by monkeypox in the state than men of other races, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. According to data from the state’s health department, which provides a racial breakdown for 74 percent of total cases, Black people make up 82 percent, with the next closest group being white people at 14 percent. And according to the U.S. census, white people make up 60 percent of Georgia’s population. Nathan Townsend, an expert in health care for gay Black men, told the Journal-Constitution that the disparity comes as no surprise. “It’s because [African Americans] don’t access services for a myriad of reasons, we’re distrusting of the health community. So, even with the vaccinations, there are people who are undecided,” he said.