Nashville monkeypox cases jump by 11, but health officials are encouraged by relatively slow spread

Nashville health officials are reporting 11 new cases of monkeypox in the last week, which is the largest weekly increase so far. However, they say they’re pleased at the relatively slow spread with a total of 28 cases to date.

Dr. Joanna Shaw-KaiKai, an infectious disease specialist with the Metro Public Health Department, says the outbreak has matched national trends, with most cases among men who have sex with men and often with multiple partners. However, monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease and is usually passed by extended contact with a rash.

“We have not had a case where the person was uncertain how he or she acquired the infection,” she says. “I’m encouraged that it’s not spreading as quickly. Will the numbers increase? Yes, they will.”

Metro Health is currently administering about 20 or 30 vaccines a day at the Lentz Public Health Center, which is offering shots to anyone who thinks they’ve been exposed to monkeypox. They’re believed to be most effective in the first few days after exposure. With the current criteria, Shaw-KaiKai says the city has plenty of shots to go around. But the department is also encouraging people to do what they can to protect themselves from exposure, like limiting sexual partners or practicing safer sex.

Nashville’s outbreak does not yet meet the federal guidelines to offer shots to anyone in high-risk groups. Since the vaccine is coming from a national stockpile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been trying to conserve doses.

The Tennessee Department of Health, which manages the shots, is on the verge of implementing new guidance that should extend the current supply, according to a TDH spokesperson. The CDC recommended this week moving to a intradermal shot, administering a 1/5 dose between layers of skin, effectively stretching the current supply by five times.