For me summer means it’s time for gardening, playing outside with my three exuberant sporting dogs (two Weimaraners and a Golden Retriever) and enjoying the grill outdoors with family and friends.
But other people have different ideas about how to spend their summers.
June is Pride month, and there are many festivals and gatherings for those in the LGBTQ+ community this month and throughout the summer. People in the community across the country gather for events that Demetre Daskalakis, MD, the White House National Mpox Response deputy coordinator, called “joyous” during a recent mpox briefing.
Dr. Daskalakis and other public health officials held a briefing after a resurgence of mpox occurred in Chicago. They wanted to remind people in the LGBTQ+ community and their healthcare providers that mpox is not over, and as they gather with friends and family to make sure that they are vaccinated with two doses of Jynneos vaccine (Bavarian Nordic). Vaccination is the cornerstone of the mpox response, and people who have received two doses of vaccine are protected against more severe disease.
Public health officials, once again, will be taking vaccine to the people who benefit most from vaccination at Pride and other gatherings, Dr. Daskalakis said, but I worry that this year’s gatherings will have a cloud hanging over them that could thwart public health efforts.
As of May, 13 states have passed laws that curb the rights of LGBTQ+ residents, according to civil liberties organizations. Some states are even investigating children’s hospitals and their pediatricians for providing care for youth, even though the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical associations endorse such care. These actions could have a chilling effect on patients and the people who provide healthcare to the LGBTQ+ community.
Will these measures prevent local public health officials from offering care and vaccination at Pride events?
Will they keep people from attending these events?
I hope not. Everyone deserves quality medical care, especially when it comes to infectious diseases. Organisms do not care about a person's gender, sexual orientation or where they reside. For more, please read stories on pages 26 and 43.
And if your idea of a great summer day is being in the great outdoors, camping and hiking, you might want to read the cover story on page 11. All tickborne diseases are on the rise, but especially Lyme disease. We talked with several experts about the reasons, and found out new information about ticks. Did you know one tick can make you allergic to meat? Did you know new methods of surveillance are being discussed to give physicians and public health departments help? We didn't. What a fascinating field, and a big thanks to Drs. Paul Mead, Peter Krause and Maria Diuk-Wasser for speaking with us.
Enjoy your summer!
—Marie Rosenthal, MS
The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.
This article is from the June 2023 print issue.