Local monkeypox transmission in US confirmed by CDC

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday confirmed that there was evidence of local transmission of monkeypox within the country, in addition to cases where people had travelled abroad.

CDC staff member Dr Agam Rao noted at Thursday’s panel meeting that cases were occurring mostly among gay men, but some women were also among those infected.

The CDC added that monkeypox cases were not only spreading through intimate content, but also through close contact such as between family members.

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“We also heard worldwide about close contacts like close household members who through example shared bedding, towels, have acquired infection. So it is not just through close intimate contact that this is being spread,” Rao explained.

Monkeypox, a viral infection endemic to certain parts of central Africa, is known to cause skin lesions, and in extreme cases can lead to acute pain, blindness, and even death.

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However, the CDC observed that the skin lesions being observed in monkeypox cases in the US were smaller than those symptomatic of classic monkeypox.

The CDC’s announcement comes amid rising monkeypox cases in the US, and indeed in the world, a trend that has caught many careful eyes.

As it stands, the US has at least 142 confirmed cases, and the Biden administration is stepping up efforts to make widespread testing possible.

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Globally, more than 3,500 cases of monkeypox have been reported across 58 countries, a fact that led to independent global health coalition World Health Network (WHN) to declare the global outbreak a pandemic.

“The accelerating growth across multiple continents, and the need for a concerted action to stop it, meets both the criteria, and the essential purpose, for declaration of a pandemic. Concerted global action is needed,” said the WHN, which was formed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The WHO, however, has yet to declare the global monkeypox outbreak a pandemic, and but is set to hold a meeting on Thursday to asses the threat.