More than three months after monkeypox was first reported in the U.S., the virus has made its way onto the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation on Wednesday confirmed its first case of monkeypox in an individual who lives on the New Mexico side of the reservation.
In a Thursday town hall video, Navajo President Jonathan Nez said the tribal government has already set up a team to plan a public health response to monkeypox, much like it did in the early days of COVID-19.
“There is a lot of lessons learned that we are following and that we are working through for monkeypox," Nez said.
Nez said he has requested monkeypox vaccine doses from the federal government and expects a shipment to arrive on the reservation this week.
Arizona so far has reported 269 monkeypox cases, most of which have been in Maricopa County.
