Hepatitis A, Invasive Meningococcal Disease, and Mpox Co-Vaccination Encouraged

The U.S. CDC published today the Emerging Infectious Diseases, Early Release, Volume 30, Number 4—April 2024, that concluded where feasible, vaccination against hepatitis A, meningococcal disease (IMD), and mpox should be encouraged among at-risk groups and offered along with program services that target those groups.

On March 18, 2024, these CDC researchers wrote, 'We provide a descriptive, cross-sectional analysis of the concurrent outbreaks of hepatitis A and IMD in Florida in the context of an ongoing global mpox epidemic that also is disproportionally affecting MSM.'

'Through this analysis, we attempted to identify common and distinct features of each outbreak and synergistic factors that might have affected disease progression and control.'

'We observed a high percentage of concurrent HIV infection among hepatitis A, IMD, and most notably, mpox case-patients.'

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved vaccines that can prevent certain sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) caused by infections from bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Various STD vaccines are available at health clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.