This July there have been several reported cases of monkey pox. This is a deadly virus, and it is spreading fast!
Monkeypox is an infectious viral disease that can occur in humans and some other animals. Symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over. The time from exposure to onset of symptoms ranges from 5 to 21 days. The duration of symptoms is typically 2 to 4 weeks. There may be mild symptoms, but it may occur without any symptoms being known. The classic presentation of fever and muscle pains, followed by swollen glands, with lesions all at the same stage, has not been found to be common to all outbreaks. Cases may be severe, especially in children, pregnant women, or people with suppressed immune systems.
People queue for monkeypox vaccines in New York City.
The US has seen more than 1,800 cases so far. However, this statistic is thought to be an undercount as testing has also lagged.
There has been growing concern about the rate at which monkeypox is spreading especially in New York City, the epicenter of the US outbreak. The disease, characterized by lesions on the skin, usually clears up on its own but can be extremely painful. Most confirmed cases have been among men who have sex with men, although anyone can be infected with the virus. “We don’t yet have all the vaccines that we would like in this moment,” US Centers for Disease Control director Rochelle Walensky told a news briefing on Friday.
Earlier this week, New York’s vaccine website crashed, as thousands of people tried to book vaccine appointments at once. New York City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan apologized for the patchy roll-out of the vaccine. “We own it. You know, those mistakes shouldn’t happen and so we’re working to correct those and do better,” he said at a news conference. “We’re still having problems with the availability of testing and vaccine supply, all these issues that we saw with Covid,” Gregg Gonsalves, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public.
Health, told Kaiser Health News last week. “Now, the prospects for containment are receding quickly.”
Article link: US monkeypox outbreak: Demand for vaccines outstrips supply – BBC News
Monkeypox is an infectious viral disease that can occur in humans and some other animals. Symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over. The time from exposure to onset of symptoms ranges from 5 to 21 days. The duration of symptoms is typically 2 to 4 weeks. There may be mild symptoms, but it may occur without any symptoms being known. The classic presentation of fever and muscle pains, followed by swollen glands, with lesions all at the same stage, has not been found to be common to all outbreaks. Cases may be severe, especially in children, pregnant women, or people with suppressed immune systems.
People queue for monkeypox vaccines in New York City.
The US has seen more than 1,800 cases so far. However, this statistic is thought to be an undercount as testing has also lagged.
There has been growing concern about the rate at which monkeypox is spreading especially in New York City, the epicenter of the US outbreak. The disease, characterized by lesions on the skin, usually clears up on its own but can be extremely painful. Most confirmed cases have been among men who have sex with men, although anyone can be infected with the virus. “We don’t yet have all the vaccines that we would like in this moment,” US Centers for Disease Control director Rochelle Walensky told a news briefing on Friday.
Earlier this week, New York’s vaccine website crashed, as thousands of people tried to book vaccine appointments at once. New York City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan apologized for the patchy roll-out of the vaccine. “We own it. You know, those mistakes shouldn’t happen and so we’re working to correct those and do better,” he said at a news conference. “We’re still having problems with the availability of testing and vaccine supply, all these issues that we saw with Covid,” Gregg Gonsalves, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public.
Health, told Kaiser Health News last week. “Now, the prospects for containment are receding quickly.”
Article link: US monkeypox outbreak: Demand for vaccines outstrips supply – BBC News