The department of Health and Human Services declared monkeypox a public health emergency in the US. Although we call it “monkeypox” because scientists identified the first cases in laboratory monkeys in 1958, rodents appear to be a more common source. Person-to-person contact, presumably through skin and respiratory secretions, is the primary route for monkeypox infections.
This week, total US cases reported since the spring reached more than 9,000. But that is almost certainly an undercount, because it is difficult to get tested for this virus. In addition, contact tracing similar to that done in the early stages of the COVID pandemic could help public health officials vaccinate known contacts of cases quickly. That would be a good way to stop the spread. However, chronically underfunded public health departments are struggling to do this.
What Is Monkeypox?
Monkeypox is in the orthopoxvirus family. This virus is related to cowpox and smallpox viruses. Public health workers eliminated smallpox through vaccination late in the 20th century. They hope that vaccination will also be valuable against the spread of monkeypox infections.
So long as it was only causing problems in African countries, many public health authorities ignored this virus. Now that it is circulating in Europe, Asia and the Americas, they are scrambling to catch up. And they are unfortunately behind the curve, even though there are many hundreds of cases in the US.
Responding to Monkeypox Infections:
Part of the problem is that we don’t know exactly how many Americans have monkeypox infections because testing is cumbersome and hard to access. Although there is a vaccine that can help prevent infection, it has not been used extensively in Africa. Even in the US, most people who might benefit from vaccination have not been immunized. The virus is already spreading rapidly and implementing plans to get ahead of it will be challenging.
A Warning That College Campuses May See Monkeypox Infections:
Experts are concerned that the start of a new academic year could allow for widespread transmission of the virus on college and university campuses. Unless campus health programs are prepared to detect, treat and prevent monkeypox infections, these could become an even more serious problem over the next few months. University health officials need tests, vaccines and antivirals to help control them.
CDC Activates Emergency Response:
The CDC has activated its Emergency Operations Center to deal with the rapid spread of monkeypox. It will also coordinate an expanded vaccination strategy. Over the next few weeks, it will offer 300,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine to clinics and public health programs. The first priority is for people who have had contact with someone diagnosed with monkeypox. By the end of the year, the agency plans to distribute well over a million doses of the Jynneos vaccine against monkeypox.
Be Aware of Symptoms:
People who have blistery rashes along with other symptoms of monkeypox infections should isolate themselves to prevent spreading it to others. Other symptoms of note include fever, exhaustion, headache, muscle aches and swollen lymph nodes. The CDC is urging healthcare providers to carefully evaluate patients with rashes, even if the blisters might be herpes or shingles.
Public health authorities suspect that they have not identified many cases because they have had trouble accessing testing. Consequently, one thing the CDC Emergency Operations Center is doing now is getting tests out to five large commercial laboratory companies. These include Aegis Science, Labcorp, Mayo Clinic Laboratories, Quest Diagnostics and Sonic Healthcare. State public health laboratories also have acquired the orthopoxvirus tests that CDC distributes.
Warning–Take This Disease Seriously:
Other public health leaders, including those in the National Coalition of STD Directors, have criticized the CDC’s response. A lack of coordination in the response to monkeypox infections may allow the virus to spread unchecked. They fear that it has already gone undetected in the US for far too long.
