The CDC said Monday that there was one confirmed case of monkeypox and four suspicious cases in the United States.
The confirmed cases are men in Massachusetts, and the four cases of Orthopox are men in New York, Florida, and Utah. Orthopox generally refers to the poxvirus.
“Additional cases are likely to be reported in the United States,” said Dr. Jennifer McQuiston, veterinarian and deputy director of the CDC’s Department of High-Result Pathogens and Pathology.
According to Brooks, the CDC has decided to hold a press conference about the outbreak, as LGBTQ Pride Month usually begins on Memorial Day weekends. Authorities wanted to make sure the community was aware of the situation. He also urged doctors to be aware of the disease, as it can look like other types of sexually transmitted diseases.
“In some cases, in the early stages of the disease, the rash was mainly in the genital and perianal areas,” Brooks said. “In some cases, there are lesions of the anus or genitals that look like other illnesses such as herpes, chickenpox, and syphilis.
“What we are trying to do by paying attention to the fact that some of these cases show symptoms of the genitals and perineum is for the evaluation of what people consider to be sexually transmitted diseases. Just to remind people that they may come, we want the provider to think, “Is it okay to have monkeypox?” If the situation fits the story, “Brooks added.
Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease, but it can spread through intimate contact during sexual intercourse if someone has an active rash.
It can also spread through large respiratory droplets, which do not travel far in the air and require extended contact to do this.
“Anyone can spread monkeypox [from] When approaching someone, they come into contact with body fluids, monkeypox pain and respiratory droplets. “
According to the CDC, the risk to the general public from this outbreak is low.
“Currently, I don’t think there is a major risk to the general public from monkeypox in the United States. To communicate effectively, we need to pay close attention to areas where monkeypox may be endemic. I think there is, and please help control this outbreak, “said McKiston.
Monkeypox did not seem to spread so rapidly, and it was necessary to cancel the party or event to stop it from spreading.
“This is not Covid,” McQuiston said. “Respiratory spread is not the main concern. It is the current outbreak and the contact in the population, and the intimate contact, and that is what we really want to emphasize.”
According to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV / AIDS, it is also important that this outbreak does not cause stigma for the LGBTQ community. Several reports and commentary on monkeypox have warned that they are using languages and images that enhance stereotypes and exacerbate stigma.
WHO has also warned people not to use the disease as a way to negatively label certain communities.
“There is a lot of stigma and discrimination surrounding many illnesses. The important thing we need to be aware of is, as WHO, working with partners in the community and elsewhere to ensure that the message is correct. I think there are some cases between men who have sex with men, but this is not a gay illness, “WHO adviser Andy Seal said on Monday.
The United States is in the process of responding to the demand for the release of the Bavarian Scandinavian Jynneos monkeypox vaccine from its stockpile.
CNN’s Virginia Langmaid, Claudia Dominguez, and Jacqueline Howard contributed to this report.
Source: www.cnn.com
