A wake-up call. In the United States, health authorities are struggling to avoid an epidemic of monkeypox, while the number of cases in the country has doubled within a week. Number is still low (45), but dynamically it should be stopped ASAP. Doctors are most concerned about the difficulty in identifying symptoms and linking them to this disease.
“We’ve seen mild cases of monkeypox, sometimes confined to certain parts of the body, which is different from what we typically see in countries with outbreaks” in Africa, Rochelle Wallinsky, director of the center, said Friday. Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC). “This has raised concerns that some cases will go undetected,” she said, asking public and health workers to be extra vigilant.
Similarities with Herpes
Existing cases do not always present with influenza-like symptoms (fever, etc.) that usually precede the appearance of the rash characteristic of this disease. Also, while these rashes usually appear all over the body, many existing cases are limited to certain areas.
“It is important to know that monkeypox cases can resemble certain sexually transmitted diseases, such as herpes, and therefore can be misdiagnosed,” said Rochelle Wallinsky. The method of transmission is the same as for most STDs, which require close and prolonged contact between two people.
The United States is counting in particular on vaccinating contact cases to stop the epidemic. The country has 100 million doses of ACAM2000, but is well on its way to getting doses of another, more modern vaccine, Jynneos. At the end of May, the US had just 1,000 doses of this second treatment, compared with 72,000 today, Dawn O’Connell, of the US Department of Health, said Friday. She added that another 300,000 doses are expected to arrive in the coming weeks.