LGBT Network Center holds monkeypox forum for concerned community members

The LGBT Network Center in Hauppauge hosted a forum on monkeypox Monday.

News 12 Staff

Aug 1, 2022, 9:41 PM

Updated 801 days ago

Share:

The LGBT Network Center in Hauppauge hosted a forum on monkeypox Monday.
Suffolk County Health Commissioner Gregson Pigott answered questions posed by the LGBT community.
Pigott said gay or bisexual men in their 20s and 30s are currently the most at risk.
David Kilmnick, president of the LGBT Network, says hundreds of members of the community are asking to the monkeypox vaccine.
Pigott says there is such a limited number of vaccines because there is only one vaccine manufacturer, which is based in Denmark.
Older individuals who attended the forum say they are concerned because they lived through the AIDS epidemic.
"I'm afraid they are going to look at monkeypox the way they look at HIV and AIDS - and the stigma," says Michael Byrne, of Patchogue.
The Suffolk County health commissioner says he expects more monkeypox vaccines to reach Long Island by mid-August - but does not know how many or the exact date.