On Friday, the health authorities in the United States announced that 21 cases of monkeypox had been recorded in the country, as the disease, which has recorded more than 700 cases of it in the world, might be in the process of spreading locally.
Among the cases recorded in the United States, 20 were monitored in 11 states, and the twenty-first infection was monitored and occurred abroad.
Most of the injuries among Americans are related to trips abroad, according to Centers for Disease Control and PreventionA, the country’s main federal health agency.
But some of the other infections are linked to other known cases in the United States, and for one of the injured, the source of the infection has not yet been determined.
“There may be a local outbreak,” warned Jennifer McCuston, who is responsible for the CDC’s response to monkeypox, adding, “We continue to believe the risk to public health is minimal.”
So far, no deaths related to the disease have been recorded in the United States or abroad, according to McCuston.
According to the World Health Organization, monkeypox is a rare viral disease of animal origin (the virus of which is transmitted from animals to humans), and the symptoms of human infection with it are similar to those experienced by people with smallpox, but are less severe.
Some patients develop enlarged lymph nodes before the rash appears, a feature that distinguishes monkeypox from other similar diseases.
The transmission of monkeypox infection requires close and prolonged contact between two people, and it is transmitted especially through saliva or skin ulcers.
The majority of infections detected in the United States are for gay people, but everyone is susceptible to it.
“We are working very hard to contain” the disease so that it does not become endemic, as is the case in many African countries, McCuston said.
And she continued, “The US strategy revolves around diagnosing cases and contacts, ensuring that the vaccine is offered to them, and isolating the infected cases.”
There are two vaccines once morest smallpox that can be used, and the United States has 100 million doses of them, and an antiviral treatment is available.
“We have enough vaccines to deal with the current outbreak,” said Don O’Connell, an official at the US Department of Health.
