New York State Has the Highest Number of Reported Monkeypox Cases

The monkeypox virus began spreading in late April 2022 across European Countries. It is now reported in 96 countries including the United States (US). As of August 22nd, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports over 48,000 monkeypox cases globally and over 18,000 monkeypox cases in the US1. This number has increased significantly since June 2022 when there was a reported 3,040 cases of monkeypox worldwide within 47 countries2.

The state with the highest reported number of monkeypox cases is New York with 3,019 cases. California comes in with the second highest reported number of cases with 2,663 cases.

On July 23rd, 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern. President Biden’s administration declared monkeypox a public health emergency in the United States on August 4th 2022.

Although in most cases monkeypox does not cause serious illness, there is a chance that it could cause hospitalization or death. It is recommended to get the monkeypox vaccine if you are exposed to monkeypox. It may help in lessening the chance of developing the virus or aid in decreasing the symptoms. The problem is that vaccine demand far outweighs supply.

In order to meet demand, government health officials proposed using a different injection method that would help stretch the limited monkeypox vaccine supply in the beginning of August 2022. The different injection method would only use one-fifth of the current dose. This would significantly increase the availability of the vaccine to people in the US and would allow up to five times as many people to be able to get vaccinated. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the new injection method and it will start being used soon. To also help with demand, government officials recently announced that another 1.8 million doses of the monkeypox vaccine will be available soon3.

The monkeypox virus is commonly transmitted through direct contact with someone who has the virus, contact with personal items of someone who has the virus, or through respiratory droplets. The most common symptom of monkeypox is a rash and/or sores. They can be itchy and painful. The rash and/or sores could be localized to just certain parts of the body such as the face, hands, feet, mouth, and genitals or it could be all over the body. People who are infected may also experience flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, and fatigue before or at the same time as the rash. Symptoms normally appear within two weeks to three weeks of being exposed. Monkeypox is contagious for an average of two to four weeks, until the rash and/or sores have all healed.

Resources

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, August 22). 2022 outbreak cases and data. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/response/2022/index.html
2. World Health Organization. (n.d.). Who director-general’s statement at the press conference following IHR Emergency Committee regarding the multi-country outbreak of Monkeypox — 23 July 2022. World Health Organization. Retrieved July 25, 2022, from https://www.who.int/news-room/speeches/item/who-director-general-s-statement-on-the-press-conference-following-IHR-emergency-committee-regarding-the-multi--country-outbreak-of-monkeypox--23-july-2022
3. Grantham-Philips, W. (2022, August 24). How many monkeypox cases in my state? NY, CA report highest numbers; US Vaccine Supply Update. USA Today. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2022/08/02/monkeypox-cases-state-numbers-outbreak/10210682002/