On Friday, authorities revealed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found 21 instances of monkeypox across 11 states, and they anticipate that this number will continue to climb.
Genetic analysis has shown that while the majority of the cases appear to be closely related to the outbreak in Europe, two patients have versions of the virus that seem to have evolved from a monkeypox case that was identified in Texas last year. This information was discovered despite the fact that the majority of the cases appear to be closely related to the outbreak in Europe.
All but one of the 17 patients about whom the agency has in-depth information were guys who had intercourse with other men, and 14 of those patients had travelled to foreign countries in the three weeks before to the onset of their symptoms. Immunosuppression was seen in three of the individuals.
Researchers from the CDC have not been successful in determining how one patient from an unknown state became infected with the virus. Dr. Jennifer McQuiston of the CDC told reporters that this points to the possibility that there is continuing community transmission at the very least in one state and maybe in others.
She said, “We really want to boost the amount of monitoring efforts that we are putting in.”
A total of around 400 people who have had contact with 13 patients who are also at risk of contracting monkeypox have been identified by health experts. The identification of contacts who are at risk will assist the authorities in determining the resources that will be required to control the epidemic.
According to Dr. Raj Panjabi, the senior director for global health security and biodefense at the White House, as of right now, health authorities have provided around 1,200 vaccination doses and 100 treatment courses to eight different states.
This week saw a remarkable increase in the number of reported cases of monkeypox all around the globe, which reached over 800 by Friday. Concern among researchers and those in charge of public health has been stoked by the fact that the virus has already been detected in at least 31 nations outside of Africa, where it is prevalent.
As the pandemic spreads further, health authorities all around the globe are making hasty efforts to collect vaccinations and treatments. The number of available choices is quite restricted.
As a preventative measure against the resurgence of smallpox, the United States is one of the very few nations that has a supply of vaccines and medications on hand. Due of the strong relationship between monkeypox and smallpox, it is anticipated that the vaccinations and treatments will be roughly equally effective.
In order to treat an epidemic of monkeypox, there are at least two medications and two different kinds of vaccinations that are now available; however, the most of them have been evaluated mainly in animals.
