U.S. health experts said Friday that smallpox cases currently being detected do not necessarily show the usual symptoms, making the disease more difficult to diagnose.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stressed that identifying cases was vital to limiting the spread of the disease. “We have seen monkeypox presentations that are mild and sometimes only in limited areas of the body, which is different from the classic presentation seen in endemic West African countries,” said Rochelle Walensky, head of the CDC. “This has raised concerns that some cases may remain unrecognized or undiagnosed,” he added, urging increased vigilance between members of the medical profession and the general public. Current cases do not always show flu-like symptoms, such as fever, body aches, and swollen glands that typically precede the onset of the rash that is characteristic of the disease. In addition, while these rashes usually occur all over the body, many current cases are limited to certain areas. “It is important to know that smallpox cases in monkeys can be similar to some sexually transmitted infections, such as herpes,” and could be mistaken for other diagnoses, “Walensky said. The United States has now recorded 45 cases, he added, twice as many as last week. No deaths have been reported. As of June 9, about 1,300 cases had been detected worldwide, he said. Transmission requires close and prolonged contact between two people. The United States is counting heavily on vaccinating contact cases to reduce the epidemic. The country has 100 million doses of the ACAM2000 vaccine, but is in the process of dosing another more modern vaccine, Jynneos, he said. At the end of May, the United States had only 1,000 doses of the newest drug, up from 72,000 today, Health Department Dawn O’Connell said on Friday. Another 300,000 doses are expected to arrive in the coming weeks, he added.
US buys more monkeypox vaccine as global number of cases rises © 2022 AFP
Report: U.S. health experts say monkey pox cases are more difficult to detect (2022, June 11) recovered on June 11, 2022 from
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