ATLANTA – State Representative Park Cannon (D-Atlanta), along with the Black Futurists Group (BFG), have begun surveying metro Atlanta residents to better understand their awareness of the monkeypox virus. In an effort to help protect individuals from contracting the virus, Rep. Cannon encourages residents in House District 58 to complete the online survey here.
“If we’ve learned anything from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that education and awareness at the beginning of an outbreak is important to keeping infection rates down,” said Rep. Cannon. “Misinformation and a lack of awareness around how to obtain resources to keep our communities safe can be a bigger threat than the virus itself. Through this partnership with BFG, our preliminary data is showing that many folks are unaware of the modes of transmission for monkeypox. As we collect more data this week, we hope to get a clearer picture of where things stand concerning the awareness of our communities about this virus.”
Rep. Cannon has conducted three surveys since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to assess the knowledge of specific populations about public health challenges, such as monkeypox and COVID-19. She also seeks to educate families, essential workers and business leaders on how to protect themselves and benefit from available resources.
Once more data has been collected, Rep. Cannon plans to hold a press conference to share the results and call on state leaders to do more within the communities they have surveyed. Details regarding a press conference will be forthcoming.
Representative Park Cannon represents the citizens of District 58, which includes portions of Fulton County. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2016 and currently serves as the House Minority Caucus Secretary. She also serves on the Code Revision, Human Relations & Aging, Insurance, Creative Arts & Entertainment, Ethics and Small Business Development committees.
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