Federal officials said they were working to curtail the spread of monkeypox by raising awareness among healthcare workers and communities that may be at higher risk of the disease that has infected at least 21 people in 11 states.
At least 16 of the U.S. cases were people who identify as gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday. Monkeypox isn’t considered a sexually transmitted infection, the CDC said. It can be passed through close contact with an infected...
Federal officials said they were working to curtail the spread of monkeypox by raising awareness among healthcare workers and communities that may be at higher risk of the disease that has infected at least 21 people in 11 states.
At least 16 of the U.S. cases were people who identify as gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday. Monkeypox isn’t considered a sexually transmitted infection, the CDC said. It can be passed through close contact with an infected person, including through respiratory droplets and skin lesions. The CDC has said anyone can be infected with monkeypox.
“The high proportion of initial cases diagnosed in this outbreak in persons who identify as gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men might simply reflect an early introduction of monkeypox into interconnected social networks,” the CDC said.
Most confirmed cases in the U.S. reported international travel in the 21 days before onset of their symptoms, said Jennifer McQuiston, deputy director of the CDC’s division of high-consequence pathogens and pathology. At least one case involved a woman who had recently traveled overseas, Dr. McQuiston said.
Monkeypox is a viral disease endemic to parts of Central and West Africa, where it has spread in the past from animals to humans. The disease is rare outside of Africa. But over the past few weeks, hundreds of cases have been reported in about 30 countries and territories world-wide. Public-health experts are still unsure as to the origins of the outbreak.
The CDC is working to ensure that communities in which monkeypox appeared to be circulating get the information and care they need to stop transmission, Dr. McQuiston said. Anyone with possible symptoms of monkeypox, which include rash and fever, should see a healthcare provider immediately, Dr. McQuiston said. She also urged healthcare providers to watch for patients with possible monkeypox symptoms.
Monkeypox is related to smallpox, though is typically less severe. Severe cases of the disease are possible, however, particularly with the Central African family of the virus, which has a fatality rate of as high as 10%. The West African family is considered less severe, with a fatality rate of around 1%. The CDC said most cases in the U.S., so far, appear to be caused by viruses in the West African family. In the U.S. and other countries where the disease isn’t endemic, there have been no deaths associated with the current monkeypox outbreak.
The Department of Health and Human Services said it would give two vaccines to patients diagnosed with monkeypox or to people who may have been exposed to the virus. Jynneos, manufactured by Bavarian Nordic A/S, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of smallpox and monkeypox in adults. HHS said an FDA-approved smallpox vaccine manufactured by Emergent BioSolutions Inc. could also be used in patients diagnosed with monkeypox.
The department said it would also make antiviral medications, including the smallpox treatment tecovirimat, sold under the brand name TPOXX and manufactured by SIGA Technologies Inc., available to patients who need it.
Dr. McQuiston said the public risk of monkeypox transmission in the U.S. remains low.