Monkeypox cases hit 10,768 in US with President Biden declaring virus a health emergency & release more vaccine doses
THE Biden administration has declared monkeypox a health emergency as cases continue to rise in the US, data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows.
The latest update by the CDC brings the nation's total cases to 10,768 just months after the first US case was detected.
By making the public health emergency designation, the Department of Health and Human Services can access new money and appoint more personnel to address the issue.
The US confirmed its first case of monkeypox in a traveler who returned to Massachusetts from Canada on May 17.
New York has been struck the hardest with 2,178 confirmed cases, followed by California with 1,892, Florida with 1,053, and Georgia with 824.
Anyone can get the illness - more so if you have been in contact or had sexual contact with someone with symptoms.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidance about how to identify monkeypox during the current outbreak, which was declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization on Sunday.
Traditionally, people with monkeypox have developed a fever, swollen lymph nodes, headaches and muscle aches.
The symptoms are followed by a rash that starts on their face or mouth and then spreads to other parts of their body - particularly the hands and feet.
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However, in some recent cases, patients first experienced a rash in the mouth or around the genitals or anus.
And instead of widespread rashes, some patients saw scattered or localized lesions in areas other than the face, hands, or feet.
At times, flu-like symptoms developed after the rash, but other people didn't have those symptoms at all.
Scientists have warned of unusual symptoms in US patients that were not previously associated with the virus.
Some patients reported pain in or around the anus and rectum, rectal bleeding, proctitis (painful inflammation of the rectum lining), or the feeling of needing a bowel movement even though the bowels are empty.
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Monkeypox comes from the same family of viruses as smallpox and is common in parts of central and western Africa.
Most people recover from monkeypox within weeks, but the disease is fatal for up to 1 in 10 people, according to the World Health Organization.