More than 200 people across 27 states might have been potentially exposed to monkeypox, STAT News reports.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is currently monitoring those cases.
Andrea McCollum, who leads the poxvirus epidemiology unit at the agency’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, told STAT News that state and local health officials are working with the CDC to assess the exposed people.
- “It is a lot of people,” McCollum said.
Is monkeypox spreading in the US?
Right now, we know of one confirmed case after a Texas resident, who is from the United States, traveled from Texas to Nigeria. He has become the first person to be infected with monkeypox this year.
- The resident took two flights during his trip. He flew from Nigeria to Atlanta and then from Atlanta to Dallas
Should you worry about monkeypox?
The CDC said this strain of monkeypox can be fatal in about 1 in 100 people — meaning that 1% of people who get it can die, as I wrote for the Deseret News
- “Monkeypox is a rare but potentially serious viral illness that typically begins with flu-like illness and swelling of the lymph nodes and progresses to a widespread rash on the face and body,” the CDC said in its statement.
How does monkeypox spread?
According to the CDC, monkeypox is transmitted “when a person comes into contact with the virus from an animal, human, or materials contaminated with the virus.”
- “Human-to-human transmission is thought to occur primarily through large respiratory droplet,” the CDC said.
What are monkeypox symptoms?
As I previously wrote for the Deseret News, symptoms for monkeypox often include:
- Fever.
- Headache.
- Muscle ache.
- Backache.
- Swollen lymph nodes.
- Chills.
- Exhaustion.
Is there a monkeypox treatment?
Per the CDC, “there is no proven, safe treatment for monkeypox virus infection.” However, the U.S. has been known to control minor outbreaks using the smallpox vaccine, antivirals, and vaccinia immune globulin (VIG), according to the CDC.