Eduardo Munoz | Reuters The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed more than 1,400 monkeypox infections in 44 states and territories in the US and said it expects the outbreak to grow. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said demand for monkeypox vaccines is outstripping the available supply, which has led to long lines in places like New York – the epicenter of the outbreak. “We know this is frustrating,” Walensky said on a call with reporters Friday. The Department of Health and Human Services is working to increase the supply, he added. Walensky said the agency expects cases to increase through July and August, as symptoms of the virus typically begin within three weeks of exposure. People who do not yet know they are infected will likely seek medical attention and be tested in the coming weeks. The U.S. now has the capacity to conduct 70,000 tests a week after recruiting several commercial labs, including Quest Diagnostics and Labcorp, Walensky said. Labs test for orthopox, the family of viruses that includes monkeypox. People who test positive for orthopox are assumed to have monkeypox infections, according to CDC official Dr. Jennifer McQuiston. Tests include a swab of the painful lesions that are characteristic of the disease, but it can take weeks from the time of exposure for these to develop. Walensky said there are no approved tests that can confirm erectile dysfunction in any other way. The outbreak currently mainly affects gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. Of the 700 patients who provided demographic information, the vast majority identified as men who have sex with men, according to Walensky. More than 11,000 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed worldwide in 55 countries, according to the CDC.
Vaccine distribution
The US has shipped all the doses of monkeypox vaccine that states have ordered so far, 156,000 vaccines in total, with the vast majority delivered last week, according to HHS. The federal government made an additional 131,000 doses available to local authorities on Friday, bringing the total available supply to more than 300,000 shots. CDC’s vaccination campaign is based on the two-dose Jynneos vaccine, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2019 for adults 18 years of age and older who are at high risk of contracting smallpox or chickenpox. The US is also working with the Danish manufacturer, Bavarian Nordic, to accept delivery of another 786,000 doses of Jynneos currently in storage in Denmark. HHS will recommend these doses in the US and they will be available for distribution once the FDA signs off on the company’s facilities. That approval is expected by the end of the month, according to Dawn O’Connell, the HHS official who heads the office that oversees the US strategic national stockpile. HHS has ordered 2.5 million more doses of the Jynneos vaccine from Bavarian Scandinavia to be shipped to the US strategic national stockpile next year. The U.S. placed an order for an additional 2.5 million doses on Friday, which will be shipped to the national stockpile in 2023. In total, the U.S. should have nearly 7 million doses of Jynneos by mid-2023, according to HHS. Local health authorities can also request the older generation smallpox vaccine ACAM2000 which is probably effective against the monkeypox virus, but the vaccine can have serious side effects and is not recommended for people with weak immune systems such as people with HIV, people with skin conditions and women who are pregnant. The US has more than 100 million doses of ACAM2000. The CDC recommends that people get vaccinated if they have had or suspected exposure to monkeypox in the past two weeks. Federal health authorities are prioritizing vaccine distribution in places with increasing numbers of infections, but are also offering the vaccines in all jurisdictions with people at increased risk of monkeypox infection, Walensky said. “It is critically important for states and jurisdictions to quickly and accurately report all of their cases through the CDC’s recommended reporting,” Walensky said. The Jynneos vaccine is given in two doses 28 days apart. Walensky stressed that a single dose does not provide sufficient protection against the virus and that it takes two weeks for the second dose to provide full protection.
Symptoms and risk factors
Monkey pox is spread primarily through skin-to-skin contact, close face-to-face interactions such as kissing, and contaminated materials such as sheets and towels, according to the CDC. In the past, the illness usually started with flu-like symptoms and then developed into a rash that can spread all over the body. But the current outbreak has produced symptoms that are atypical, with some people developing a rash first or no flu symptoms at all. Many people have developed a rash, which may look like pimples or blisters, in tight areas such as the genitals or anus. Walensky said the CDC recommends people avoid physical contact with people who have a rash that looks like monkey pox and consider minimizing sex with multiple or anonymous partners. People should also consider avoiding sex parties or other events where people don’t wear a lot of clothing. People who decide to have sex with a partner who has monkeypox should follow CDC guidelines to reduce their risk, Walensky said.
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