United States Monkeypox Outbreak Continued to Rise
Monkeypox outbreak globally decreased 21% but earlier on Thursday the World Health Organization stated that US cases were still on the rise.
According to trends observed in Europe, monkeypox cases in certain major US cities appear to be diminishing. Experts are cautiously optimistic that the outbreak may have peaked in areas hardest hit by the virus.
Earlier on Thursday, the World Health Organization stated that monkeypox cases recorded globally decreased 21% in the previous week after a month-long pattern of increasing infections, but cautioned that cases in the US were still on the rise.
According to the initial report of GMA News that however, some US doctors think the number of cases is beginning to fall, partly due to protection from earlier infections and a shift in behavior as the disease has become more well known. They emphasized that this does not imply that the sickness will be confined.
The number of cases of monkeypox in the country since late May is close to 17,000 cases. A substantial portion of the pandemic, which has so far spread to 80 nations outside of Africa where the virus is prevalent, is spread by gay and bisexual men.
The report mentioned that, It is uncommon for monkeypox, which is communicated by close contact with an infected person and the pus-filled blisters that are typical of the illness, to be fatal.
Due to limited stock levels, Bavarian Nordic’s Jynneos vaccine, which is also authorized to combat smallpox, has had a delayed rollout. However, heightened vigilance over the dangers and improved immunity seem to be reducing the spread.
Dr. Gerardo Chowell, an infectious disease modeler at Georgia State University School of Public Health said that, “It’s very likely that the epidemic peaked as of last week.”
Over the next four weeks, a sustained reduction in new infections in the United States is predicted by Chowell’s most recent model, which was published on Thursday. Although the drops would not be sufficient to put an end to the outbreak, he said they should reduce infections to “extremely low levels.”
Requests for comment regarding the seeming trend went unanswered by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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