What is monkeypox

As Chicago's 2022 Market Days approaches this weekend, here's what health officials are saying about vaccine supply, how the virus spreads, the community at ...

“There’s nothing inherent in the biology of the virus that limits it to men who have sex with men. There are some genetic mutations in the virus that suggest why that may be happening, but we do need a globally-coordinated response to get it under control." The CDC notes that MPV can be spread via direct contact with rashes, scabs or bodily fluids. "This proclamation will aid in facilitating the complicated logistics and transportation of vaccines across the state to reach the most impacted communities efficiently." Arwady also noted that the city is preliminarily expecting 20,000 additional doses of vaccine over the next 4-6 weeks. And, doctors and public health experts are continuing to express concerns as the virus spreads in ways that experts say they haven't seen before. It takes about two weeks for the first dose to take full effect. However, vaccines are currently being distributed to those that the Chicago Department of Public Health has noted as being at highest risk -- which is "close-knit social networks of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM)." Nearly 460 of those cases are Chicago, the city's public health department confirmed Thursday. Arwady on Thursday said all but one of Chicago's cases have been diagnosed among men who have had sex with other men -- but she also emphasized that there is nothing about the virus that would limit it to that community. “MPV is not a ‘gay disease’,” CDPH Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said. According to the Chicago Department of Public Health, the virus "has primarily spread through close-knit social networks of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM)," but that anyone can get infected.

The federal government declared a public health emergency Thursday to bolster the response to the monkeypox outbreak that has infected more than 7100 ...

Last week, the World Health Organization called monkeypox a public health emergency, with cases in more than 70 countries. Gostin said the U.S. government has been too cautious and should have declared a nationwide emergency earlier. That information can be used to better understand how the outbreak is unfolding and how well the vaccine works. Becerra announced the emergency declaration during a call with reporters. “It’s not a red or a blue state issue. The monkeypox virus spreads through prolonged skin-to-skin contact, including hugging, cuddling and kissing, as well as sharing bedding, towels and clothing. There is no political opposition to fighting monkeypox.” The declaration by HHS comes as the Biden administration has faced criticism over monkeypox vaccine availability. The declaration of a national public health emergency and the naming of a monkeypox czar are “symbolic actions,” said Gregg Gonsalves, a Yale University infectious diseases expert. But health officials emphasize that the virus can infect anyone. The federal government declared a public health emergency Thursday to bolster the response to the monkeypox outbreak that has infected more than 7,100 Americans. “We are prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus, and we urge every American to take monkeypox seriously,” said Xavier Becerra, head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Monkeypox has quickly spread throughout the world to 87 countries, including 80 countries that historically had not seen the disease before, USA Today reports.

"This is a strong attempt to try to elevate the message higher than it has been," he added. However, experts say the public health emergency declaration is a welcome development. Califf said FDA is optimistic about the approach and that a final decision on splitting doses this way should be coming "within the next few days," adding that "it's important to note that overall safety and efficacy profile will not be sacrificed for this approach." "It also represents an important commitment by the administration to the community." According to CDC, nearly all monkeypox cases in the United States have resulted from male-to-male sexual contact. Monkeypox first arrived in the United States in May and has rapidly spread throughout the country.

“As monkeypox continues to spread throughout New York City and the country, I'm grateful to President Biden and HHS Secretary Becerra for declaring a public ...

I urge the federal government to invoke the Defense Production Act to ensure we have the necessary quantity of vaccines to fulfill both doses of this two-dose series and continue cutting the red tape to make treatment and testing more accessible for all. “As monkeypox continues to spread throughout New York City and the country, I’m grateful to President Biden and HHS Secretary Becerra for declaring a public health emergency today. We continue to be the epicenter of this outbreak, with over 25 percent of cases nationally and approximately 150,000 New Yorkers who we estimate to be currently at risk for exposure.

Austin Public Health, Central Health and other local health leaders will host a virtual roundtable Friday to discuss monkeypox and the looming fall festival ...

InIn May, public health officials started to detect cases of monkeypox all over the world, including in places where the disease doesn't usually spread.

Researchers are still trying to figure out why monkeypox started spreading outside of the places where it’s usually found. Public health officials are also offering the vaccine to the groups where the virus is primarily spreading: men who have sex with men, and people who have had multiple recent sexual partners in areas where the disease is spreading. In the past, cases of monkeypox usually included lesions over the whole body. Right now, monkeypox testing is still limited in the United States. People can get tested by doctors or urgent care providers. Right now, it seems to be spreading mostly through sexual contact, which is one reason why we’re seeing infections clustered in sexual networks. In May, public health officials started to detect cases of monkeypox all over the world, including in places where the disease doesn’t usually spread. Most testing still requires that healthcare providers swab a monkeypox lesion, and there’s no way for someone to do that on their own at this point. The last pandemic to be declared was COVID-19 in March 2020, which was approximately yesterday or eight decades ago, depending on how twisted your perception of time has gotten over the past two years. The most telltale signs of monkeypox are blister- and pimple-like lesions on the body. It’s a similar virus to the one that causes smallpox. Emergency declarations help free up resources for countries and organizations to take more public health measures during an outbreak. This isn’t a new virus.

People with H.I.V. and other immune-system problems may need the full two-dose regimen, researchers say. But the shots, particularly second doses, ...

“Individuals with severe or moderate immune suppression are recommended for additional doses of common vaccines,” said Keri Althoff, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who led the Covid vaccine study. Injecting one-fifth of a regular dose of Jynneos between skin layers, as the F.D.A. suggested on Thursday, may be effective, according to limited research. Scientists at the N.I.H. had planned to test the dose-sparing strategy in a clinical trial set to begin in a few weeks. She added that delaying the second dose to eight weeks might be reasonable. Information about how Jynneos performs in people with H.I.V., particularly in those with severe immune problems, was already scant. The virus was primarily found in parts of Central and West Africa, but in recent weeks it has spread to dozens of countries and infected tens of thousands of people, overwhelmingly men who have sex with men. One oft-cited statistic says that the vaccine is 85 percent effective against monkeypox. No large clinical trial of Jynneos as a monkeypox vaccine was conducted in humans before its approval. The vaccine, called Jynneos, is approved as a two-dose regimen, but most people at risk of infection have been receiving one dose — if they can find it. For most recipients, one shot should be enough to ward off serious illness, and there is some evidence that even smaller doses can be effective. Monkeypox is a virus similar to smallpox, but symptoms are less severe. So far, the Biden administration has shipped about 600,000 doses to states.

The Philadelphia health commissioner says new resources released by the monkeypox emergency declaration probably won't come quickly. She says the city has 82 ...

“We’re prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said. It’s more of a public statement and so, you know, I usually don’t like to do things that are just words.” It’s not a gay disease,” Bettigole said. “We’re hoping it might help to get more vaccine faster than we would otherwise get to it. Camden County in New Jersey and Delaware have each seen six cases. The Philadelphia health commissioner says new resources released by the monkeypox emergency declaration probably won’t come quickly.

The United States and World Health Organization have declared a public health emergency after the monkeypox outbreak has spread to the U.S. and more than 70 ...

The World Health Organization estimates there are thousands of monkeypox infections in about a dozen African countries every year. The White House said it has made available more than 1.1 million doses of vaccine and has helped to boost domestic diagnostic capacity to 80,000 tests per week. However, health officials have stressed that anyone can catch the virus, and they want to stop transmission before it spreads broadly and reaches high-risk groups, such as the elderly. Vaccine is available for people 18 and older on a post-exposure basis, and pre-exposure for people at greatest risk for infection. Transmission has typically occurred from animal to person in regions of Africa where monkeypox is endemic, but the virus this year started spreading from person to person. A monkeypox rash may resemble other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). A list of free or low cost STI testing sites can be found here. Having multiple or anonymous sexual partners may increase the chance of exposure. People with more serious illness may develop a rash and lesions on the face and hands that can spread to other parts of the body. Scientists first identified the illness in 1958 when there were two outbreaks of a "pox-like" disease in research monkeys — thus the name monkeypox. Symptoms typically develop about 12 days after exposure, but they may appear as soon as five days or up to 21 days after exposure. It belongs to the same virus family as smallpox. Here's what you need to know about the illness.

Johns Hopkins experts weigh in on whether the U.S. is ready for the possibility of twin pandemics.

An infectious disease in any location in the world can be in our backyard in the blink of an eye. Experts and advocates across the country have been promoting government agencies to act more quickly to control this outbreak, yet the rapid global increase in cases suggest we may have missed the opportunity for containment. The emergence of monkeypox virus (MPV) is a global threat that must be taken seriously by all. The most striking aspect of the U.S. response to monkeypox is how flawed it has been and how mistakes characteristic of the COVID-19 response were repeated. We need a public health infrastructure and resources to support the isolation and treatment of individuals experiencing MPV. Since it is highly possible for MPV to spread in the general population, we must act now before this becomes endemic. We must act swiftly, together, and without fear, misinformation, or stigma to abate this public health emergency. That has not proven to be the case, as the stockpile contains 100 million doses of an older vaccine (ACAM2000), which has rare but severe side effects, but only 2,400 doses of a newer and safer vaccine, Jynneos. This is akin to a newsstand stocked with yesterday's newspapers. Since 2020, a Danish company, Bavarian Nordic, has been producing millions of doses of Jynneo. The facility had to pass an FDA inspection before the doses could be shipped. What unites these failures is the lack of a proactive stance that is able to rapidly rise to the occasion; instead an overly bureaucratic stammering seems to be the best the government can muster. We learned from the COVID-19 vaccine rollout that when two-dose vaccine supplies are limited, prioritizing first doses is a rational strategy. Notably, the facility had passed inspection by the FDA's European counterpart, the European Medicines Agency, but it still took two months for the FDA to complete the inspection. COVID-19 exposed the shortcomings in our national health care infrastructure, from health equity issues to our vulnerability to supply chain hang-ups.

The Jynneos vaccine, manufactured by the Danish company Bavarian Nordic, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to prevent monkeypox. ACAM2000, ...

The latest: Air raid sirens went off in central and southern Israel late Friday local time. Worth noting: There is currently a limited supply of the Jynneos vaccine. ACAM2000 is found to have more side effects and a higher rate of adverse events. But ACAM2000 is distributed by multiple punctures, leading to potential scarring. The ACAM2000 monkeypox vaccine comes with the risk of adverse effects, including myocarditis and/or pericarditis, the CDC said. - Having a high number of sexual partners is not enough to get you a vaccine since it is not a sexually-transmitted disease. The Jynneos vaccine contains a live weakened virus related to monkeypox and smallpox that does not replicate within the human body, per the CDC. You cannot catch monkeypox or smallpox from the vaccine, New York state health officials said. Worth noting: The CDC said there is no data available for the effectiveness of the vaccines for the current monkeypox outbreak. - The vaccine contains a virus capable of transmission to close contacts. However, this is based on research from the 1980s based on a monkeypox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Jynneos vaccine includes a live virus that doesn't replicate and is associated with fewer adverse effects, the CDC said. - The ACAM2000 has a larger supply of vaccines available, but the CDC does not recommend them for people with certain health conditions.

Dr. Ashish Jha told "CBS Mornings" that declaring a public health emergency for the monkeypox outbreak will speed up vaccinations and help health officials ...

"The goal of this is still to eliminate this virus — to get it under control and ultimately eliminate it. "Ninety-eight percent of the cases so far have been among gay and bisexual men. And we're primarily targeting those vaccines to the community where this virus is spreading." And in Washington state, some residents are even driving to Canada for shots. At least five children and a pregnant woman have contracted the virus. The U.S. has declared a public health emergency after weeks of pressure to do more to stop the monkeypox outbreak.

The Biden administration declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency as a new study of cases thus far in the United States found that the virus ...

However, it has the potential for more side effects and adverse events than JYNNEOS. It is not recommended for people with severely weakened immune systems and several other conditions.” It takes 14 days after getting the second dose of JYNNEOS for its immune protection to reach its maximum,” CDC says. The public health emergency, which coincides with the Food and Drug Administration’s exploration of ways to stretch the vaccine supply including a “dose-sparing approach,” also “carries important implications for data sharing with the federal government,” HHS said. The most frequently reported signs and symptoms included rash, fever, chills, and swollen lymph nodes. Among the cases with available data, 41 percent were among non-Hispanic whites, 28 percent were Hispanic, and 26 percent were Black. The median age of patients was 35 years old. Eighty-one countries with no historical reports of monkeypox are now reporting cases, mainly in Europe and the United States.

The FDA is laying out a new strategy to extend vaccine supplies. But the approach doesn't go far enough to understand how well the vaccine works.

“If the vaccine is going to be one of the major strategies for prevention, we better have good data to back up how it’s going to work,” Anne Rimoin, an epidemiologist at University of California, Los Angeles told me. Not coincidentally, John Beigel, National Institute of Allergy and Immunology’s director of clinical research, the day before the health emergency was declared had outlined early plans for a clinical trial to test this “dose sparing” approach. Currently, the open questions about the vaccine, beyond dosing, are many: How long after an exposure to the virus can it minimize the severity of an infection? To extend the current supply, the FDA is considering a new way of administering Jynneos, which is intended to be given in two doses four weeks apart. In theory, the US has had all the right tools — tests, treatments, and vaccines — to stem the spread of monkeypox. As monkeypox cases in the US climbed to more than 7,100, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra declared the outbreak a public health emergency.

The Biden administration has declared the monkeypox outbreak in the US to be a public health emergency.

People who are known, confirmed contacts of people with monkeypox are eligible to be vaccinated. However, it shouldn't be used in people with certain health conditions, according to the CDC For prevention, the CDC recommends that the vaccine be given up to four days after exposure. specifically to avoid touching any rash that may be on a partner's body. The CDC says The virus may also pass to a fetus through the placenta. This may include those whose infection has advanced into the severe stage and people with weakened immune systems. Another vaccine, Jynneos, is specifically intended for monkeypox, but it's in short supply. "This is likely due to shared sexual networks. available for monkeypox patients at risk of severe disease. Within five days of the prodrome starting, patients develop a rash that can look like pimples or blisters," said Dr. Jason Zucker, an infectious diseases specialist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. According to the CDC

The Biden administration's expected public health emergency declaration for monkeypox landed Thursday.

But across party lines, respondents said they have little confidence in their elected representatives to solve the problems. DeSantis said his decision was made because Warren was picking and choosing which laws to enforce. Women and Black adults were also more likely to say they’re concerned about health care costs than other respondents. The stakes are high for the drug industry: Allowing Medicare to negotiate the cost of high-price drugs is expected to save the federal government more than $100 billion. People cutting back on utilities, food, driving and other expenses were also far more likely to report delaying health care services. “Reagan-Udall will be aligned with Califf,” another former senior FDA official familiar with the matter said. Reagan-Udall said the review will result in two separate reports delivered to the agency 60 business days after the project launches. “The goal has always been to vaccinate as many people as possible,” Califf told reporters. What happens now: A public health emergency lets federal health officials make decisions more quickly about dispatching vaccines and treatments, accumulating data and moving money for the response. In a letter to Gov. Phil Murphy obtained by POLITICO’s Daniel Han, the leaders of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO, Communications Workers of America, New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association and other public employee unions said the steep proposed rate increases to the State Health Benefits Program would “cause a financial crisis for New Jersey workers, the public and State and local governments.” WELCOME TO FRIDAY PULSE and, sadly, the last issue penned by your co-author Sarah Owermohle. I’ve had a great four-year run at POLITICO and the best time writing Pulse, but this newsletter will be in very good hands without me. Women are disproportionately cutting back compared with men, especially younger women.

The Biden administration declared monkeypox a public health emergency on Thursday, freeing up more resources to combat the disease and expanding the CDC's ...

Those who are infected with the disease tend to have lesions and flu-like symptoms, though all cases are different. Some areas are offering the vaccine to communities at higher risk. We were caught sleeping at the wheel.”

ABC News' medical contributor, Dr. Alok Patel, discusses the latest on the monkeypox emergency as the Biden administration looks for ways to ramp up vaccine ...

Health officials will continue to stay in contact with families and provide information and resources in the coming days." However, health officials have repeatedly stressed that the virus does not discriminate, and anyone exposed to monkeypox can contract the virus. At this time, officials did not disclose the number of children that may have been exposed to the virus. "The people who have been exposed, potentially, do not need to be in quarantine, so they are being screened and assessed. "Pediatricians are on site, as we speak, to screen children for cases and they're mobile testing and vaccines for their families. An adult at an Illinois day care center has tested positive for monkeypox, and a number of children may have been exposed to the virus, health officials in Illinois announced on Friday.

A detailed analysis of monkeypox case records published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday offers new insight into the outbreak, ...

It was the most common location for rash (46%), followed by arms (40%), face (38%) and legs (37%). More than a third of cases with available data reported rash in four or more regions. At least one person with monkeypox had symptoms more than three weeks after their first dose of the Jynneos vaccine. However, a genital rash was more commonly reported in the current outbreak than in "typical" monkeypox.

An Illinois day-care worker has tested positive for monkeypox, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced Friday, but no other cases have been ...

Officials did not say how many children might have been exposed to the virus. You do not need to call public health. "Screening of children and other staff is taking place now."

Meanwhile, the CDC published a clinical and epidemiological snapshot of US cases, revealing that 42% didn't report prodrome symptoms.

Writing in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the CDC said of the men who reported their sexual partners in the 3 weeks before they got sick, the majority had multiple partners. In Washington DC, the virus has spread to the homeless population, with two recorded cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday reported 485 more monkeypox cases, raising the national total to 7,102.

The line begins to form before sunrise outside Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, with some people arriving as early as 2 a.m., bringing fold-up ...

And there are clear differences between the response now and the response to HIV/AIDS. But some advocates say the perceived lack of governmental urgency in addressing a public health crisis that impacts queer communities today mirrors what gay men were experiencing decades ago. So, it's super hard for all of our staff not to be able to do that and have to turn people away and not even have information to say when we will get the doses next." There were points where I couldn't walk, couldn't touch things," said Kevin Kwong, who recently recovered from monkeypox after being diagnosed in early July. "Our vaccine clinic prides itself on being able to help and vaccinate people when they come through our doors. "We need everyone to be rallying behind this issue and quickly," TerMeer said "There is an imminent window of time by which we can get ahead of the fast spread of monkeypox across our country and that window continues to close." "However, we will try to find you more shots." San Francisco health officials initially requested 35,000 doses, but say they've only gotten 12,000 from the federal stockpile. San Francisco General opens the clinic doors at 8 a.m. and the line inches forward slowly. "This is a reminder that everyone, regardless of age or sexual orientation, can get monkeypox if they come into contact with the virus," the City of Long Beach cautioned, echoing CDC guidance that while the risk of infection in children is low, they are "more likely to be exposed to monkeypox if they live in or have recently traveled to a community with higher rates of infection." The foundation opened its doors in 1982 "in a moment of crisis in our community, when the federal government abandoned us ... there are parallels between that moment and this one," according to TerMeer. "Folks we have reached our limit for today," he shouted. That stemmed from the perception of AIDS as a "gay plague" -- a condition thought to be tied to the lifestyles and behaviors of gay men -- even though cases had also been reported in women, infants, those with hemophilia and people who injected drugs.

The White House declared on August 4 that monkeypox is a national public health emergency, and Air Force providers at military treatment facilities are ready to ...

We have a medical-focused line of effort within the LIT, so we have members who are focused on medical issues and barriers impacting the LGBTQ+ community.” The Air Force Medical Service is a 44,000-person integrated health care delivery and readiness system serving 2.6 million beneficiaries at 76 military treatment facilities worldwide. “It is critical Airmen and Guardians who fall into a high risk category have access to the care and support they need as we navigate through the current monkeypox outbreak,” said Maj. Jonathan Roman, LIT co-lead. The World Health Organization cautioned on July 25 against complacency in the rapidly escalating monkeypox outbreak, saying there is no guarantee it will continue to spread within specific communities. If not immediately available, shipment of the approved monkeypox vaccine can be available within 24 to 48 hours. “Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted infection.