Epidemiologic and Clinical Features of Mpox in Transgender and Gender-Diverse Adults — United States, May–November 2022

As of November 9, 2022, a total of 28,730 cases of monkeypox (mpox) had been reported in the United States,* primarily among adult cisgender men reporting recent male-to-male sexual contact (1). Transgender and gender-diverse persons, who constitute an estimated 0.5% of the U.S. adult population,^† face unique health disparities and barriers to care (2–4). However, data on the epidemiologic and clinical features of Monkeypox virus infections in this population are limited (5). CDC analyzed U.S. case surveillance data on mpox cases in transgender and gender-diverse adults reported during May 17–November 4, 2022. During this period, 466 mpox cases in transgender and gender-diverse adults were reported, accounting for 1.7% of reported cases among adults. Most were in transgender women (43.1%) or gender-diverse persons (42.1%); 14.8% were in transgender men. Among 374 (80.3%) mpox cases in transgender and gender-diverse adults with information available on sexual or close intimate contact, 276 (73.8%) reported sexual or close intimate contact with a cisgender male partner during the 3 weeks preceding symptom onset. During the ongoing outbreak, transgender and gender-diverse persons have been disproportionately affected by mpox. Members of this population frequently reported recent sexual or close intimate contact with cisgender men, who might be in sexual networks experiencing the highest incidence of mpox. These findings highlight the importance of tailoring public health prevention and outreach efforts to transgender and gender-diverse communities and could guide strategies to reduce mpox transmission.

Data on confirmed and probable cases of mpox are electronically reported by jurisdictional health departments to CDC using a standardized case report form^§ or the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.^¶ CDC analyzed case report form data for persons aged ≥18 years with probable or confirmed mpox reported through November 4, 2022. CDC identified persons as transgender or gender-diverse if their self-reported gender** was transgender or “another gender identity” (i.e., not cisgender or transgender); in addition, persons whose self-reported gender identity differed from their assigned sex at birth were considered transgender.^†† This descriptive analysis included demographic and epidemiologic characteristics, exposure characteristics, symptoms, HIV status, and hospitalization status. Data were stratified by gender identity. Because of the high level of missingness of some variables, statistical testing was not performed. This activity was reviewed by CDC and was conducted consistent with applicable federal law and CDC policy.^§§

As of November 4, 2022, a total of 28,072 cases of mpox had been reported in U.S. adults, primarily among cisgender men (94.8%); 2.6% of cases occurred in cisgender women (Table 1). A total of 466 (1.7%) adults with mpox were transgender or gender-diverse; among these persons, most were transgender women (43.1%) or gender-diverse persons (42.1%); 14.8% were transgender men. A total of 223 persons with missing age were excluded. Among 157 (80.1%) cases in gender-diverse adults with available data on assigned sex at birth, 151 (96.2%) were assigned male sex at birth.

Overall, approximately 52.1% of cases in transgender and gender-diverse adults were reported from New York City (26.0%) or California (26.2%). The median age of transgender and gender-diverse adults with mpox was 32 years (range = 18–71 years) (Table 2). Among the 416 (89.3%) transgender and gender-diverse adults with mpox for whom race and ethnicity were reported, 37.0% of cases occurred in Hispanic or Latino (Hispanic)^¶¶ persons, 28.1% in non-Hispanic White persons, 27.6% in non-Hispanic Black or African American (Black) persons, and the remainder in persons of another race or ethnicity. The racial and ethnic distribution among transgender and gender-diverse persons with mpox was generally similar to that among cisgender persons.

Among 374 (80.3%) transgender and gender-diverse adults with sexual and close intimate contact information available, 316 (84.5%) reported engaging in any sexual or close intimate contact during the 3 weeks preceding symptom onset, including 276 (73.8%) who reported sexual or close intimate contact with a cisgender man (261 had exclusively cisgender men as partners, and 15 had partners who included cisgender men and persons of other genders). Ten (2.7%) transgender and gender-diverse adults with mpox reported exclusive sexual or close intimate contact with partners who were not cisgender men. Similarly, among 16,518 (60.4%) cisgender adults with this information available, 13,556 (82.1%) reported engaging in sex or close intimate contact during the 3 weeks before symptom onset, most often with a cisgender man.

The most frequently reported signs and symptoms reported by transgender and gender-diverse adults with mpox included rash (91.8%), malaise (67.3%), fever (64.9%), pruritis (63.9%), headache (63.7%), chills (62.2%) myalgia (61.9%), and enlarged lymph nodes (58.9%). Among 166 (35.6%) transgender and gender-diverse adult mpox patients with data available on HIV status, 79 (47.6%) had HIV infection, including 34 of 57 (59.6%) transgender women, six of 21 (28.6%) transgender men, and 39 of 88 (44.3%) gender-diverse persons. HIV prevalence among cisgender adults with mpox with available data was 55.1%. Among 306 transgender and gender-diverse adults with hospitalization data, 21 (6.9%) were hospitalized, similar to 6.5% of cisgender adults with available data. Among the 21 transgender and gender-diverse persons who were hospitalized, nine (43%) were transgender women, seven (33%) were gender-diverse persons, and five (24%) were transgender men. To date, no mpox-associated deaths have been reported among the transgender or gender-diverse adults identified in this analysis.

Acknowledgments

Jeniffer Concepción-Acevedo, Gail Scogin, Emily Sims, Raquel Velazquez-Kronen, CDC; jurisdictions that submitted case surveillance data to CDC.

Corresponding author: Dawn Blackburn, DBlackburn@cdc.gov.

¹Epidemic Intelligence Service, CDC; ²CDC Mpox Emergency Response Team; ³Division of HIV Prevention, National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, CDC.

References

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* Because of differences in collection of sex and gender information among jurisdictions, both sex and gender were used to represent gender identity. Persons whose reported sex differed from their reported gender were classified as transgender (59). Self-reported gender or sex assigned at birth were missing for 10,370 (36.9%) adults and their gender identity was presumed to be cisgender consistent with the available response unless their gender identity was reported as transgender or “another gender identity.”
^† Persons whose self-reported gender was “another gender identity” (i.e., not transgender or cisgender), such as nonbinary, genderqueer, and gender nonconforming, were classified as gender-diverse.

* Percentages were calculated using nonmissing data.
^† Persons of Hispanic or Latino (Hispanic) origin might be of any race but are categorized as Hispanic; all racial groups are non-Hispanic.
^§ Among the 21 transgender and gender-diverse persons who were hospitalized, reason for hospitalization was available for 11 (52%): five were hospitalized for pain control, two for treatment of secondary infections, two for exacerbation of an underlying condition, and two for breathing problems, one of whom required mechanical ventilation; five were hospitalized for other reasons (patients could be hospitalized for more than one reason). HIV status was available for 18 (86%) of the hospitalized transgender and gender-diverse persons, among whom 13 had HIV infection.