Watch: Fauci Says Gay, Bi Men Should Get Monkeypox Vaccine First

The day after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox to be a global emergency, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who serves as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, lent his voice to the experts who have already said that gay and bisexual men should be prioritized for the limited supplies of vaccine against the disease, Newsweek reported.

Appearing on MSNBC on July 24, Fauci was asked his thoughts on who should get the vaccine first.

"It depends on who should get it, and how many doses do we have right now," Fauci said. "Clearly, people who have been exposed to individuals who... are very, very likely to have been exposed to somebody [who has the virus]," he added.

Fauci went on to say that people who engage in sexual behavior that brings them into contact with others who could be carrying the virus is another group to prioritize. "For example, the men who have sex with men population who, for example, are on pre-exposure prophylaxis against HIV," also known as PrEP.

Assuming that being on PrEP signals significant sexual activity for an individual, Fauci said that "the very fact that they are on pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV would immediately put them into that classification where they very likely should get vaccinated in a preventive way."

That argument was put a different way by the WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Although the highly contagious nature of the disease means it can be spread through casual contact such as shaking hands or even sharing clothing or using the same hand towel, meaning that it is "possible for anyone to catch monkeypox," Ghebreyesus noted that "one feature of the current outbreak is that cases have been concentrated among men who have sex with men, and particularly those who have multiple sexual partners," according to Newsweek.

Added Ghebreyesus, "It's therefore essential that all countries work closely with communities of men who have sex with men, to design and deliver effective information and services, and to adopt measures that protect the health, human rights and dignity of affected communities."

Newsweek also recalled that "Paul Hunter, a professor of health protection at the Norwich School of Medicine at the University of East Anglia in the U.K.," had told the publication last week "that the vaccine should be prioritized for people most at risk of the disease, which he said includes the MSM community and those who 'participate in active sexual networks where they have frequent intimate contact with a range of others.'"

Fauci expressed the hope that by the end of the month another 750,000 doses of the vaccine would be available.

Newsweek noted that "many jurisdictions in the U.S. where the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine is available are limiting availability to those who are deemed at high risk, which differs between states."

Newsweek cited Washington, D.C.'s criteria, which includes "sex workers of any sexual orientation or gender... in addition to staff at establishments where sexual activity occurs," and added that men who have sex with men (MSM) are "also eligible for the vaccine if they have had multiple or anonymous sexual partners within the previous 14 days," while in New York City, "only MSM individuals who have had multiple or anonymous sex partners in the previous 14 days are eligible."

Watch a clip of Fauci's comments below. (Note: The discussion about "who should get the vaccine" begins at the 2:25 mark.)