MONKEYPOX cases in the United States are on the rise and the country is now on high alert.
In May 2022, President Joe Biden warned that the outbreak is “something that everybody should be concerned about.”
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How many monkeypox cases are there in the US?
On May 18, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention learned that one United States resident had a confirmed case of monkeypox after returning to the US from Canada.
Since then, a total 113 individuals have tested positive for monkeypox, according to CDC data, as of June 17, 2022.
There have been over 2,500 total cases in 37 countries globally.
Rising numbers have sparked concerns over another pandemic-related incident.
At Osan Air Base in South Korea in May, Biden said that virus is something “everybody should be concerned about.”
“Been working on it hard, figuring out what we do and what vaccine may be available for It,” Biden continued, adding that, “it is a concern in the sense that if it were to spread it would be consequential.”
What is monkeypox?
Monkeypox is a rare disease that causes several symptoms and a distinctive bumpy rash.
According to the CDC, the first human case of monkeypox dates back to 1970 and was reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
However, the disease itself dates back to 1958, when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease happened in monkeys that were being used for research.
Some of the most common symptoms include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Chills
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Backache
People infected with monkeypox will usually start to experience symptoms five to 21 days after initial infection.
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Is monkeypox deadly?
Monkeypox can last anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks, and while WHO says the monkeypox virus is similar to human smallpox, it can still be fatal.
However, they stress that “there have been no deaths associated with this outbreak.”
Is there a vaccine for monkeypox?
While there is no specific vaccine for monkeypox in the United States, Biden stated that the smallpox vaccine is effective and that the country has enough “to deal with the likelihood of a problem,” according to USA Today.
“I just don’t think it rises to the level of the kind of concern that existed with Covid-19,” Biden said during a separate press conference.
When asked if Americans can expect a similar response to the Covid-19 pandemic, he stated that it “doesn’t seem to be a need for any kind of extra efforts beyond what’s going on,” but added that “people should be careful.”
At this time, it remains unclear if a specific monkeypox vaccine is in development.