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LEXINGTON – The firing of former police chief Sam Dobbins wasn’t enough, and he should be held accountable for crimes he has admitted to and those that happened under his watch, a civil rights attorney and community organizers said. 

Civil rights Attorney Malik Shabazz announced Monday outside the Lexington Police Department that Washington, D.C.- based legal group Black Lawyers for Justice plans to review the police department and how it operated under Dobbins. 

“The department will be investigated on the principles of what has come out of the mouth of the chief of this department,” he said. “We will make sure that everything is investigated even if nobody comes forward or if everybody is intimidated. The United States of America is watching this.”

Dobbins was fired in July after an audio recording surfaced of him using a racial slur and homophobic language, bragging about killing 13 people as a member of the police force and shooting one person 119 times. 

Despite his firing, Shabazz said his office has received reports that Dobbins has been seen at the police department and fear he may be destroying evidence and intimidating witnesses. 

Priscilla Sterling of the Emmett Till Justice for Families Foundation is Till’s cousin. She said after 67 years, justice has not been served for his death. Several weeks ago, a grand jury declined to indict the last living accomplice, Carolyn Bryant Donham, after the discovery of new evidence. 

Sterling connected the impact political interest and white supremacy had on Till’s case with circumstances that led to Dobbins becoming police chief in Lexington and how he has not been held accountable for his actions. 

“We can no longer let that happen. We can no longer allow this to happen,” Sterling said. “We’ve seen what happened with Emmett.”

Black Lawyers for Justice will host a tribunal at 5 p.m. Monday where residents are invited to testify about any illegal action taken by Dobbins while he was police chief and member of the police department. 

The tribunal will take place at the restaurant LaRue’s Room located at 2201 Depot Road.

People can testify and give statements about a number of actions by Dobbins or the Lexington Police Department, including unlawful killings and shootings, use of excessive force, false arrests, racial profiling, systyematic policy and training and more, Shabazz said. 

Other organizations co-sponsoring the hearing include Emmett Till Justice for Families Foundation, Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, Mississippi Local Organizing Committee, Black Liberation Movement and the New Black Panther Party. 

Another goal of the hearing is to collect evidence to expand the legal action against Dobbins. Shabazz said that can come in the form of cilvil action like compensatory damages awarded to people victimized by Dobbins, or criminal action, like charges of murder.

The Lexington Police Department has violated the constitutional rights of Black residents through behavior including retaliation for speaking out against police, false arrests, baseless vehicle searches and unreasonable police force, a federal lawsuit against Dobbins, the department and city alleges. 

Civil rights organization JULIAN is asking the court to issue a temporary restraining order against the police department to prevent mistreatment of residents. 

The plaintiffs are five Black men who have experienced abuse by the Lexington police. Over 200 Black residents formally or informally complained about treatment by the police in the past year, according to the lawsuit. 

The organization is also calling for a federal investigation of systemic racism in the Lexington Police Department and municipal government. 

Shabazz said JULIAN’s lawsuit is strong, but it doesn’t cover every allegation against Dobbins. 

“This is going to take some serious action to uproot what has gone on in this town,” he said. “I think this is the start. This is the start of a very long battle.”

The post Civil rights attorney calls for investigation, charges for former Lexington police chief appeared first on Mississippi Today.

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Pearl River flooding is exacerbating Jackson’s drinking water crisis, bringing warnings of a system-wide outage, causing some businesses and schools to close Monday and prompting some leaders to call for the state to take action.

“Our understanding is the water and sewer system serving 250,000 citizens of the state and numerous businesses is at the brink of collapsing,” Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said. “We have grave concerns for citizens’ health and safety … I believe it is time for the state to take an active role in finding a solution — both short term and long term.”

House Speaker Philip Gunn said: “I’ve been contacted by hospitals, businesses and schools pleading that something be done to address the water crisis in Jackson. Unfortunately, the city leadership has not presented a permanent solution or a comprehensive plan. These groups have turned to the state for help, and it seems we will have to evaluate what options might be available.”

The city’s state Senate delegation on Monday called on Gov. Tate Reeves to call a special session of the Legislature to address the crisis.

“The people of Jackson, Byram, Ridgeland and Hinds County are in day 32 of a boil-water notice,” the letter from the five senators said. “Water pressure issues are shutting down schools, businesses and government offices. Raw sewage discharge has closed the Pearl River. We need to act now. This issue is too important to wait until January and the 2023 legislative session.”

Some restaurants and other businesses in the Fondren area closed Monday as water pressure dropped to a trickle, and state agencies downtown were warned of a possible “system-wide water outage.” Several schools in the Jackson Public School District were forced to switch to virtual learning due to ongoing low water pressure and the threat of flooding.

Jackson’s antiquated, poorly maintained water and sewerage system has seen recurring failures — including loss of water for much of the city for a month after winter storms in 2021. Federal authorities have issued warnings the system is at risk of failure and of harmful contaminant levels. The city has been under a boil water notice for more than a month.

In a press conference on Monday to announce the Pearl River crested lower than expected and likely won’t bring widespread flooding of homes and businesses, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba announced the city had to reduce pressure for the entire city water system because of infiltration of floodwater. He said low-pressure issues could persist for a few days.

But in a message to state agencies downtown, the state Department of Finance and Administration warned the situation may be even more dire, and “there may be a system-wide water outage for the City of Jackson for the next several days.”

“We have spoken to the Governor’s office regarding the possible outage,” the message to state agencies said. “Please use your discretion for the health and safety of your agency.”

Lumumba’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comments on the discrepancy in messages.

The long-running city water crisis has prompted talk of a state intervention — perhaps even a takeover — of the system. But the estimated $1 billion price tag for a fix is daunting.

“I’m on the verge of saying that the state has got to step in and take over,” Gunn had said on Supertalk radio last week. “But the size of the problem is so great that I’m not even sure the state can meet the needs. It’s going to require federal help.”

Reeves’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comments Monday morning about possible state intervention.

On social media, state Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson — one of the five to call for a special legislative session — said it was time for the state to use a portion of its more than $2.5 billion in surplus funds to help fix the beleaguered water system.

Blount said, “It is important to remember that in the recent past the state has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to benefit regional utility authorities on the Gulf Coast and in DeSoto County. The state also sent money to Rankin County to build a new sewer plant. The state, with unprecedented money in the bank, must step up and invest in Jackson and save a system that serves almost one-10th of all Mississippians. We must aside political and partisan differences and act now.’

But Blount also pointed out that the system must be better run on a local level, pointing out the city is losing millions of dollars annually because many Jackson residents never receive bills for their water usage.

“If every treatment plant and pipe were fixed today, we’d be back in this situation soon without fixing the billing,” he said.

While officials took solace in the less-than-expected Pearl River flooding Monday, Lumumba announced that the city had to reduce water pressure for the entire system because of an adjusted treatment procedure.

“Because of the river water that’s coming into the plant, we have to change the way we treat the water,” Lumumba said during a press conference Monday. “Because of the chemical composition of the water coming in, they have to figure out how they can tend with that additional water coming in.

“That has led to the reduction of water being put out into the system which consequently reduces the tank levels and affects system-wide the water pressure in the homes of our residents.”

Later, the city issued a press release saying it was handing out bottled water to residents, at the Grove Park Community Center, while supplies last.

Lumumba’s comments on the latest Jackson water system woes came at the end of the press conference Monday after the Pearl River crested at just under 35 and a half feet that morning, under the original projection of 36 feet. The flood waters had only reached inside of one home, the mayor said.

The flooding came as a result of heavy rains last month, resulting in the wettest August on record for central Mississippi.

The post Flooding exacerbates Jackson’s water crisis, raises calls for state intervention appeared first on Mississippi Today.

PASCAGOULA — When Ingalls Shipbuilding announced plans this summer to hire more than 2,000 workers, they put perks up front: day-one benefits, 12 paid holidays, competitive pay. 

And don’t forget the on-site Chick-Fil-A. The company says it has invested nearly $1 billion in its local facility. 

“Attracting skilled workers is a top priority for Ingalls,” said spokesperson Kimberly Aguillard. “We are committed to finding and training the talent we need to build quality ships for our customers.” 

Mississippi businesses are learning they have to pull out all the stops if they want to attract and retain workers. Economic uncertainty is looming overhead, inflation has pushed up costs and businesses from restaurants to shipbuilders and business services are struggling to fill all their needed positions.

“Workforce is the single biggest issue we face in the state of Mississippi as a whole,” said Ashley Edwards, the president of the Gulf Coast Business Council. “That is certainly echoed in business leaders across the Coast. They are very concerned about, and very focused on, workforce questions and workforce challenges.”

Mississippi gained back the bulk of jobs it lost during the pandemic but those gains stalled out over the last few months. The state is still about 2,000 jobs short of where it was before the pandemic began, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Mississippi employment market has remained relatively flat over the last six months, without any major losses or gains. 

“Our economy has definitely slowed down along with the U.S.,” said state economist Corey Miller, referring to Mississippi. “But I don’t think we’re in a recession at present, but it’s still 50/50 if we will be in one within the next 12 months.” 

That uncertainty has businesses on edge as they struggle to hire new workers. Miller said for every one person hired in a job, there’s still 1.5 openings – a statistic he said is true in both Mississippi and nationwide. 

The state’s unemployment rate – now about 3.6% – has fallen to historic lows, but that’s not a full picture of what Mississippi businesses are facing. Economists say they still don’t have a great understanding of why people haven’t come back to the labor force entirely. 

“The labor force is still smaller than it was before the pandemic,” Miller said. “Some of those people who are no longer unemployed are not in the labor force and that’s a phenomenon we have seen across the country.”

Mississippi’s labor participation rate – the percentage of Mississippians working or looking for work – is about 55%, according to BLS data. That’s about where it was before the pandemic began. But it’s much lower than the national average of about 62%. 

“We want to dig into that more,” said Ryan Miller, the director of workforce development office Accelerate Mississippi. “Job rates are getting back to pre-COVID levels and yet we see labor participation rate, on the surface, could be better. We want to understand why and how we can move the needle.” 

Accelerate Mississippi plans to commission a study to better understand the gaps between unemployment and the labor participation rate.

Ryan Miller – no relation to the state economist – said another thing his office is tackling is the barriers that may be keeping people from entering the traditional workforce, such as child care. 

“What are the factors in the lives of Mississippains that are keeping them from engaging in the workforce?” he posed. “For specific population sectors, one of them being single mothers, they would probably love to participate in training (for a better job) but they can’t get the childcare and don’t have the latitude to participate.” 

Accelerate Mississippi is looking into how new programming could help, like creating non-traditional child care options for when workers are in training classes for in-demand skilled work. 

Experts largely agree the issue is more complex than the people simply don’t want to work anymore.

“There are probably folks who would rather not work,” said Miller, whose focus is getting more Missisippians in good-paying jobs to raise the state’s average wages. “But I think there are more Mississippians who if given the opportunity to the pathway to … have an opportunity to grow a skill, a chance for advancement, they’d take that.” 

Jobs in accommodations and food services are slowly building back to pre-pandemic numbers, but restaurants are not only dealing with the inability to find workers but increased costs from inflation. The Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association says 55% of operators surveyed reported their businesses are understaffed and they do not not have enough employees to support demand. 

The same survey found 79% of Mississippi restaurants say they’re less profitable now than they were in 2019. 

The shortages have pushed up some pay for workers. But when looking at wages Mississippi-wide, the state economist predicts most gains will be a wash due to inflation. 

Edwards, with the Gulf Coast Business Council, said business leaders are focusing their attention on recruitment efforts. Those needs will only be amplified as more baby boomers exit the workforce, Edwards said. 

The pandemic spurred what many call “the Great Resignation,” where time off from work made many realize they wanted to start new careers, find a better work-life balance, or retire.

“Businesses are still coming to terms with the shift,” Edwards said.

The post Why Mississippi’s 3.6% unemployment rate isn’t the full picture of what businesses are facing appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Melvin Robinson, the executive director of the Mississippi Cannabis Trade Association, joins Mississippi Today’s Adam Ganucheau and Geoff Pender to discuss updates on the state’s rollout of its medical marijuana program.

The post Podcast: Medical marijuana could hit the shelves in October appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Gov. Tate Reeves took to social media recently to ask “why does the Democratic Party hate working people so much” after President Joe Biden announced his limited student loan forgiveness program.

The first term governor surmised that the tax dollars of working Mississippians would be used to pay off the student loans taken out by “Harvard doctorate degree gender studies majors living in California.”

Individuals earning less than $125,000 or $250,000 for a family can have $10,000 of their student loan forgiven under the Biden plan. People who receive Pell grants (which provides financial help for the needy for undergraduate studies, not Harvard doctorate degrees) can get up to $20,000 forgiven.

People who attended college, but dropped out, perhaps due to financial hardships, can take advantage of the loan forgiveness. Those people certainly are not Harvard elites and are probably the working people the governor cited as being treated unfairly by the loan forgiveness.

Still, the governor makes a good point.

Under our system of government on the local, state and federal levels, people pay taxes for what is considered the greater good of the government and of society.

People who don’t have children in public schools pay taxes because it is a benefit to society to have a good educational system. People pay taxes for restaurant inspections whether they eat out or not.

The list could go on of services that taxpayers pay for whether they use them or not.

Working Mississippians also are paying their taxes for Medicaid expansion. But since the governor steadfastly refuses to allow the state to expand Medicaid, the Mississippi tax dollars are going to the other 38 states that have expanded Medicaid to provide health care insurance to primarily the working poor.

The tax dollars of working Mississippians also are going to help pay for rental assistance in other states since the governor is ending the state’s participation in an emergency rental assistance program designed to help the poor and those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor will be sending more than $100 million in rental assistance funds back to the federal government.

But Reeves nor anyone else should be too concerned about Mississippi taxpayers subsidizing people in other states – those Harvard elites or anyone else. By multiple measurements, Mississippi is the beneficiary of federal tax dollars, not the subsidizer.

Mississippi ranks sixth nationwide in terms of federal spending per resident at $6,880, according to a 2022 study. Virginia, home to a large percentage of the federal work force, ranks first at $10,301 per resident, followed by Kentucky, New Mexico, West Virginia and Alaska.

New Jersey is last in federal spending per resident at a minus $2,368, followed by Massachusetts at minus-$2,343. California, the state where Reeves was afraid Mississippi tax dollars would go for the Harvard elites, garners minus-$12 in federal spending for each resident.

Using a different measurement — return on tax dollars — Mississippi gets $3.40 for each tax dollar sent to the federal government, according to a 2020 report. In that study, Mississippi trails only New Mexico, which gets $4.33 for each dollar it sends to the federal government, and West Virginia, which garners $3.74 for each dollar it directs to the federal government.

New Jersey gets 78 cents for each dollar its residents provide in federal taxes. The other states that get less than a dollar for each dollar sent to D.C. are Nebraska, Washington, Minnesota and Illinois.

Mississippi gets more federal spending than most states in part because it has the highest percentage of people living in poverty who qualify for various federal programs. Mississippi also has multiple federal military bases. Many, but not all, of the state’s farmers also are big winners in terms of federal subsidies.

The taxing system is set up to send funding to programs that political leaders believe are good for the betterment of the nation, state or local government. A big part of the nation’s political discourse centers around what those programs should and should not do.

But regardless of that discourse, Mississippi has and will continue to be a winner in terms of the federal government providing tax dollars to the state despite the Biden student loan forgiveness program.

If Reeves really wants to stick to those other states and those elites by taking more of their tax dollars, all he has to do is expand Medicaid.

That decision would provide Mississippi about $1 billion per year in additional federal taxes.

The post In student loan argument, Gov. Reeves ignores Mississippi’s federal dependence appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency Saturday as Mississippi officials received a new projection of flooding from the Pearl River. The National Weather Service now expects the river to crest by early Monday morning.

“If this happens, there will be dozens of streets in downtown Jackson that will flood,” Reeves said, adding that businesses near Town Creek as well as homes and streets in Northeast Jackson that may also flood if the Pearl reaches the projected 36 feet peak.

With the river forecast changing in the last 24 hours Reeves emphasized that projections are subject to evolve over the next few days.

Officials said that Jackson residents who were affected by the floods in 2020 should anticipate similar impacts.

As of Saturday morning, the NWS projects the Pearl to crest by 6 A.M. Monday morning, meaning that residents whose homes may be flooded should prepare to evacuate by Sunday evening, Reeves said.

To see their flood risk, Jackson residents can use the city’s interactive map at this link, or refer to a list of streets that may be affected on the city’s website by clicking here.

Reeves and Mississippi Emergency Management Agency officials also reminded residents that if they anticipate flooding in their homes to take pictures of their property before and after the flooding to document any damages. Doing so helps meet the guidelines for Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Individual Assistance Program, which Jackson residents didn’t receive after the 2020 flood.

As far as other areas along the Pearl that could see flooding, Reeves said the river could peak in Monticello around Thursday, Columbia around Friday, and Pearl River County the following Tuesday. Those projections could change depending on how quickly the Ross Barnett Reservoir management is able to release water back into the river, the governor added.

MEMA director Stephen McCraney said that the following areas around Mississippi have declared local emergencies: Wilkerson, Rankin, Hinds, Leake, Newton, Clarke, and the City of Jackson. Among those areas, 45 homes, 13 businesses, and 55 roads have flooded so far, McCraney said.

Officials also expect that Lawrence and Copiah counties could see moderate flooding next week as high water levels make their way down the Pearl.

The American Red Cross has one shelter open in Jackson so far, at 3000 Saint Charles St., located at the Jackson Police Department Academy.

The post Gov. Reeves declares state of emergency as Pearl expected to crest Monday appeared first on Mississippi Today.

The governor tweeted a red-meat tweet on Wednesday saying, “Today Biden will announce that welders, plumbers, laborers, & other Mississippians (black, white, Hispanic, etc.) will be forced to pay off the debts of Harvard doctorate degree gender studies majors living in California. Why does the Democrat Party hate working people so much?”

Hmm.

Forget that there are a lot of working Mississippians who have college debt.

At the end of the day, whipping of outrage and dividing to conquer may be a winning political tactic — but like starting a fire, it can come back to burn you.

The post Marshall Ramsey: Outrageous! appeared first on Mississippi Today.

The Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA), the governing body of the state’s public schools athletics, begins its 100th year of operations with this football season.

Mississippi high school football is slightly older.

On Dec. 5, 1905, Yazoo City defeated visiting Winona 5-0 in the state’s first high school football game. No, there wasn’t a field goal or a safety. A touchdown counted five points back then. Yazoo scored the only one. There were no shoulder pads, no helmets. The largest players on either team tipped the scales at about 145 pounds. The Winona team and supporters rode a train to Yazoo to play the game. You could look it all up. I did. Details are sketchy. There were no sports writers in Mississippi back then.

Little did those country boys from Winona and Yazoo know, but they were starting a tradition that has not only endured but flourished. Mississippi high school football has produced an inordinate amount of the greatest players in the history of the sport. Friday night football has become almost a part of the state’s culture as Sunday morning church services.

Years ago, someone asked me why high school football has such a hold on the state’s citizenry. Why do we love it so much? I wrote my answer in a column. It follows:

It’s the dimly lit, small-town field, carved and leveled from a cow pasture or a bean field, and surrounded by wooden bleachers that sag toward the middle on a Friday night. 

It’s the bugs, by the millions, that swarm in the stadium lights.

It’s the mamas who wince and cover their eyes every time their boy gets hit.

It’s the dads who fidget and fret, just as they did in a hospital waiting room 16, 17 or 18 years ago.

It’s the grandmas and grandpas, aunties and uncles who scream themselves hoarse.

It’s the railbirds, too nervous to sit, who prowl the sidelines shouting encouragement to the players, advice to the coaches and things we can’t print here to the men in stripes.

It’s the rivalries: Brandon-Pearl, Booneville-Baldwyn, Mendenhall-Magee, Laurel-Hattiesburg, Forest-Morton,  Pisgah-Pelahatchie and so many more.

It’s the cheerleaders, smiling, bouncing, clapping and screaming. They live for this night, and it shows.

It’s the managers and ballboys, often small boys with towels wrapped around their necks, who eagerly race onto and off the field with water bottles throughout the night. 

It’s the bands, some large, most small. It’s an often off-key version of our national anthem that fans on the visitors’ side can’t hear.

It’s the majorettes shivering on a chilly November night.

It’s the little kids, behind the bleachers, playing their own spirited games with footballs made of crumpled paper cups, dreaming of their turn on the striped field on the other side of the bleachers.

It’s the homecoming court, daddies escorting daughters, praying their darling’s name will be called.

It’s the smoky aroma of hamburgers and hot dogs grilling just outside the concession stands. It’s a steaming cup of hot chocolate on that first brisk, late October night.

It’s the explosive crack of a linebacker’s shoulder pads crashing into a fullback’s gut.

It’s the coaches, some who act as generals and others more like drill sergeants. More often than not they are as edgy as a cat in a dog kennel. Wouldn’t you be if your job depended on the capricious bounces of an oblong ball and the fickle focus of teen-aged boys?

It’s coaching legends such as Jim Drewry, Mike Justice, Willis Wright, Ed Steele, Jack Bailey, M.C. Miller, Marion “Chief” Henley, Ricky Black, Mac Barnes, Stanley Blackmon and so many more.

It’s those teen-aged boys, themselves, pounding each other’s shoulder pads, shaking their fists, bouncing on the tips of their toes just prior to kickoff.

It’s the big-bellied, gray-haired head linesman in a striped shirt, telling the 15-year-old wide receiver he needs to back up a little bit.

It’s that brutally hot first game in August when everyone is undefeated and everyone’s expectations are so high.

It’s that first Friday and Saturday in December when the best of the best play in the State Championship games and whole towns follow them.

It’s so rich a heritage: a skinny wide receiver named Rice, a drum major- turned-running back named Payton, a freckle-faced redhead named Archie, a coach’s son named Favre, a mama’s boy named Stevie McNair. 

It’s all those broad-shouldered, rangy, raw-boned country boys named Poole.

“Boys, have I found us a game to play,” Buster told Ray and Barney, and, boy, had he. . .It’s the sports writers, from big daily newspapers and small weeklies, thanking heaven someone actually pays them to write about these weekly passion plays.

It’s how important it all is. It’s how entire communities rally around the team. It’s our culture, part of our fabric.

It’s a fall Friday night in Mississippi.

And it doesn’t get any better. Anywhere.

The post Friday night football: A thriving Mississippi tradition begins again appeared first on Mississippi Today.

The monkeypox virus has spread to dozens of countries and infected more than 44,000 people worldwide since the outbreak began in May. Nearly 16,000 of those infections have occurred in the United States, and 23 cases have been identified in Mississippi as of Aug. 25. Dr. Paul Byers, state epidemiologist, answered some of the most common questions about the disease for Mississippi Today.

Monkeypox was discovered in 1958. Cases usually occur in areas of West and Central Africa where monkeypox is endemic.  Cases have occurred outside of these countries before but have been associated with travel to or exposure to someone who’s been in these endemic countries. In the current outbreak in the U.S. and worldwide, person-to-person transmission is occurring in countries that don’t normally report monkeypox.

Monkeypox is part of the variola virus family, the virus that causes smallpox. This a naturally occurring virus. 

Monkeypox is spread through close personal, often skin-to-skin contact, including direct contact with the body fluids of an infected person, their rash, scabs, or contact with respiratory secretions. Direct contact can include sexual contact, hugging or kissing, or prolonged face-to-face contact. Monkeypox can also be contracted by touching objects, fabrics (clothing, bedding or towels), and surfaces that have been used by someone with monkeypox.

Anyone who engages in close personal or physical contact with an infected person is at risk for contracting monkeypox.

Monkeypox is a virus closely related to smallpox, but not as severe and fatalities are rare. People with certain underlying medical conditions may be at higher risk for severe infections. People with monkeypox develop a rash that may be located on the face, hands, feet, legs, genitals or other areas. Sometimes, people have flu-like symptoms before the rash. Some people get a rash first, followed by other symptoms. Others only experience a rash.

Monkeypox symptoms usually start within 3 weeks of exposure to the virus. If someone has flu-like symptoms, they will usually develop a rash 1-4 days later.

Adults 18 and older are eligible for the vaccine if:

• They have been in close physical contact (including household or sexual contact) with someone diagnosed with monkeypox,
•  Or they identify as gay, bisexual, or as other men who have sex with men, or as a transgender individual, and they report:

•  Or having multiple or anonymous sex partners,

• Or having attended an event or venue where monkeypox may have been transmitted (for instance, by sex or skin-to-skin contact).

Individuals interested in monkeypox vaccine who meet the eligibility criteria are encouraged to call the Monkeypox Call Center at 1-877-978-6453 to determine their eligibility and a make vaccination appointment.

There is an antiviral medication, TPOXX, available for individuals with severe disease or who are at higher risk for severe disease. 

Those who are at risk for monkeypox have been in close physical contact (including household or sexual contact) with someone diagnosed with monkeypox.  To date, most of the cases have occurred among individuals who identify as gay, bisexual, other men who have sex with men or in transgender individuals. But anyone exposed to monkeypox is at risk for infection.  

The post Dr. Paul Byers answers common monkeypox questions appeared first on Mississippi Today.