Monkeypox

The United States has declared a state of public health emergency over the monkeypox outbreak. The announcement came during a briefing with the Department ...

We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages. Last month, the European Union approved a smallpox vaccine for use against monkeypox. The United States has declared a state of public health emergency over the monkeypox outbreak The United States has declared a state of public health emergency over the monkeypox outbreak. The declaration comes a month after the World Health Organisation issued a red alert over the spreading disease, placing monkeypox as a public health emergency of international concern. U.S. declares monkeypox outbreak public health emergency

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.

“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.

The Biden administration has declared monkeypox a public health emergency. Here's how businesses can help.

It should create a business advisory committee, modeled on the Department of Homeland Security’s critical infrastructure advisory committees, with representatives from diverse industries, to advise on the economic impacts of public health regulations and assist in pandemic planning. We must start applying these lessons now–and hope that it’s not already too late to benefit from them in our fight against monkeypox. They should embrace their roles as trusted information sources for their employees during a public health crisis. The final lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic concerns the way businesses themselves can better prepare. The result was a vaccine that offers high rates of efficacy and protection against severe illness, hospitalization, and death. It must also ensure that we have a strong supply chain for these items, which can be activated quickly in a crisis. Private companies built on a decade of research partnerships, including with the National Institutes of Health, on a new vaccine type–based on messenger RNA and produced synthetically–and took on billions of dollars in risk. We must make certain necessary regulatory reforms that can help with this latest public health challenge remain in place. The last time the WHO took that step, it was responding to the emergence of COVID-19. This will minimize economic disruption, maximize workplace safety, and enable the government to mitigate public health consequences by responding rapidly. The Biden administration has declared monkeypox a public health emergency as cases topped 6,600 in the U.S. The rapid spread of the disease has prompted the World Health Organization to classify it as a global health emergency. At COVID-19’s onset, business leaders had to adapt quickly, making decisions in an environment of uncertainty amid a rapidly shifting public health response.

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.

US President Joe Biden's government on Thursday declared monkeypox a public health emergency, a move that should free up new funds, assist in data gathering ...

Some 14,000 doses of an antiviral drug known as tecovirimat, or TPOXX by its trade name, have been delivered to treat the disease — but the drug was developed against smallpox and its efficacy against monkeypox isn’t yet fully understood. Some 99 percent of US cases have so far been among men who have sex with men, HHS said last week, and this is the population authorities are targeting in the national vaccination strategy. The US has so far delivered some 600,000 JYNNEOS vaccines — originally developed against monkeypox’s related virus, smallpox — but this number is still far short of the approximately 1.6 million people considered at highest risk and who need the vaccine most.

The US, like the World Health Organization earlier, also declares the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency.

Danish company Bavarian Nordic has a vaccine that goes by the brand name Jynneos, Imvamune or Imvanex – depending on geography. Increased global travel as well as climate change have generally accelerated the emergence and spread of viruses, experts say. Until this year, the viral disease has rarely spread outside Africa where it is endemic. This status unleashes funding and gives health agencies regulatory flexibility that could help increase access to vaccines and treatments. Monkeypox spreads primarily via intimate skin-to-skin contact, usually with someone who has an active rash, as well as via contact with contaminated clothes or bedding. Severe cases can occur though people tend to recover within two to four weeks, according to the WHO.

Of those, there have been 10 confirmed deaths in Spain, Brazil, India, Ghana, and Nigeria. There are 7,102 monkeypox cases in the US and so far no one has died ...

Make sure to see a doctor if you have monkeypox symptoms. And can you die from it? In that sense, "COVID would still be high on the list to be very aware of and very cautious of," Yusuff says. But just how serious is this viral illness that's a cousin of smallpox? "It can still cause problems as far as a lot of lesions and they can be very, very painful and somewhat debilitating so it is kind of scary in that sense," Gulick says. - As of August 4, there have been 26,864 confirmed cases of monkeypox worldwide.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra announced Thursday that he will declare the ongoing spread of monkeypox virus in the ...

HHS has allocated 1.1 million doses to states and jurisdictions in total and is making more doses available as jurisdictions use their current supply. As of today, HHS has shipped more than 602,000 doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine to states and jurisdictions, an increase of 266,000 in the past week. Thursday’s announcements are part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s comprehensive strategy to combat the monkeypox outbreak. Additionally, it provides authorities to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to collect testing and hospitalization data. Declaring the outbreak an emergency may provide the justification that the remaining jurisdictions need to sign their agreements. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra announced Thursday that he will declare the ongoing spread of monkeypox virus in the United States a Public Health Emergency (PHE). This action will further strengthen and accelerate the Biden-Harris Administration’s response in recognition of the continued rapid transmission of monkeypox in the U.S. and globally, and to signal the seriousness and urgency with which the Administration is responding.

As a primary care and addiction medicine physician, I have been dismayed by the number of patients I've treated over the past few weeks who've been infected ...

And lastly, we must recognize that the least stigmatizing and least homophobic approach to this infectious disease is to provide individuals with information on how it spreads and what steps can mitigate their risk of disease. Patients similarly need access to places to isolate without putting those they live with at risk of contracting the virus—we turned hotels into isolation venues for patients with covid-19, 15 why not for monkeypox? When people register for a monkeypox vaccine that requires certification of eligibility and the disclosure of sensitive information (sexuality and/or number of sexual partners), they should be informed of the protections in place to keep that information confidential. Individuals should be able to register for appointments without giving a name to allow those who are fearful of their sexuality being made public a way to gain access to vaccination. Many of the patients I’ve seen have had to come to the emergency department for testing, unable to get a simple swab performed in urgent care settings, health department clinics, or with primary care doctors. 2 3 4 Yet, just as we have failed to deploy these tools to assist in outbreaks in African nations, 5 we are now also failing our patients from a sexual minority—patients who are already underserved and justifiably mistrusting of a medical system that less than 50 years ago considered the idea of men having sex with men a psychiatric illness.

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.

Outbreaks of the viral disease have been reported from 78 countries, mostly in Europe, and 98% of cases outside the countries in Africa where it is endemic have ...

Outbreaks of the viral disease have been reported from 78 countries, mostly in Europe, and 98% of cases outside the countries in Africa where it is endemic have been reported in men who have sex with men, the WHO says. Public health agencies have stressed that although in many countries the outbreaks are concentrated among men who have sex with men, anyone can contract the virus through prolonged close contact or from particles on items such as bedding or towels. Monkeypox outbreaks in Africa are not concentrated among gay men, unlike in other parts of the world, experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa CDC said on Thursday.

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 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 UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published the latest technical briefing, which shows early signs that the outbreak is plateauing.

Twenty-two cases in women have been identified and 99% of all UK cases are male. Be vigilant of and check yourself for monkeypox symptoms, including rashes and blisters. In England, 73% are known to be London residents over the course of the outbreak.