Key points

• Wayne County has reported its first mpox case since the 2022 global outbreak.
• This is the 19th case in Michigan in 2024.Mpox is a viral illness spread through close personal contact or respiratory secretions during prolonged face-to-face contact.
• Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, and a rash resembling blisters.
• Health officials assure the public that the risk remains low but urge those at risk to get vaccinated.
• Free vaccinations and low-cost testing are available through Wayne County Public Health

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral disease that spreads through close personal contact with an infected individual’s rash, scabs, or bodily fluids. It can also be transmitted through respiratory droplets during prolonged face-to-face contact. The virus causes symptoms like fever, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, and respiratory issues, followed by the appearance of a rash that looks like blisters or pimples.

In this latest case, officials have stressed that the risk to the general public remains low. They recommend that anyone who is at higher risk for contracting the virus should get vaccinated. Vaccination is especially important for people who may have been exposed to the virus or are considered at higher risk of exposure.

The county health department is urging those who have received only one dose of the vaccine to get the second dose as soon as possible for full protection. The mpox vaccine requires two doses, spaced four weeks apart, for complete effectiveness. The vaccine is available for free at Wayne County Public Health clinics, and testing services are provided at little to no cost.

While mpox does not spread easily between people, Wayne County officials continue to monitor the situation closely to prevent further spread. They are working to raise awareness about the importance of vaccination and proper precautions to limit transmission.

Residents are encouraged to stay informed about mpox, especially those in at-risk groups. The public health department remains committed to keeping the community safe through accessible testing and vaccination options.

The post Wayne County – Michigan confirms first mpox case since 2022 appeared first on Monkeypox meter.

Last updated:

Mexico and Cuba have reported the deaths of two people who had tested positive to monkeypox, although neither country attributed the fatalities to the viral disease. Τhe reports follow monkeypox related deaths reported in Brazil and Ecuador in the past month, but fatalities remain extremely rare in the current outbreak.

The Pan-American Health Organisation has reported at least 21,200 confirmed cases of monkeypox in the Americas, while more than 80 countries worldwide have reported new cases of the illness, which is endemic in parts of Africa. Mexico’s health ministry on Tuesday said experts were investigating the death of an HIV-positive patient who had died from septic shock and pneumonia after testing positive for monkeypox. Mexico has reported 386 confirmed and 862 probable cases of monkeypox infection.

Cuban authorities said a 50-year-old Italian man died on Sunday after being diagnosed with monkeypox on Saturday. The public health ministry said the tourist, who had arrived on August 15, had been in an unstable condition since Thursday and rapidly deteriorated. The ministry pointed to an autopsy report that reported the cause of death as sepsis linked to pneumonia and organ damage.

The World Health Organisation has warned that people with underlying immune deficiencies could be at risk of more serious symptoms and death after contracting monkeypox. Nearly 45,000 monkeypox infections have been reported worldwide since May.

The post Mexico and Cuba report deaths with monkeypox appeared first on Monkeypox meter.

The observational study, which has been carried out in three sexual health units in Madrid and Barcelona, ​​determines that almost half of the patients analyzed presented complications that required medical treatment, mainly to reduce the pain associated with proctitis (25 %), tonsillar ulceration (11%) and penile edema (8%).

Three patients even required admission for complications derived from these manifestations. Furthermore, all participants presented skin lesions, in the anogenital or perioral region. Another relevant conclusion of the research points to “skin-to-skin contact” during sexual intercourse as the “dominant factor” in the transmission of monkeypox, over airborne transmission.

On the other hand, they concluded that, given the short incubation period, pre-exposure vaccination of high-risk groups is likely to be more effective than post-exposure vaccination for infection control. Finally, the researchers note that viral loads are “surprisingly” higher in swabs (the samples collected) from skin lesions compared to relatively low levels in pharyngeal swabs.

Therefore, they point out that this fact “must be investigated further to find out if respiratory transmission is viable and consequently guide the decision regarding home respiratory isolation of those affected.” In the evaluation of the 181 confirmed cases used, 175 (98%) were men, 166 of whom were identified as men who have sex with men.

The 12 de Octubre University Hospital, the Germans Trias University Hospital – Fight Against Infections Foundation and the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital collaborated in the study, with the participation of the London School for Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

Last May, the first autochthonous cases of monkeypox were reported in Europe, giving rise to an international outbreak. Last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international health emergency, its highest level of alert, due to the current outbreak of this disease, which on August 5 already totaled more than 26,000 cases (seven of them fatal) in nearly 90 countries, many of them in Europe, where the disease was not endemic.

The United States remains the country with the most reported cases, with 6,307, followed by Spain (4,577), Germany (2,839), the United Kingdom (2,759) and France (2,239). EFE

The post Study in Spain: 40% of Monkeypox Patients Suffer Complications Requiring Medical Treatment appeared first on Monkeypox meter.

Last updated:

The death occurred on Monday, August 8. Ecuador registered 10 cases of monkeypox virus, the last three were identified in Azuay, Los Ríos and Santa Elena. Ecuador records the death of a patient suffering from monkeypox, however, the disease was not the cause of death, clarified the Ministry of Public Health (MSP).

The death occurred on August 8, as a result of a “pre-existing pathology” of the patient, said Francisco Pérez, Undersecretary of Public Health Surveillance. Pérez explained that so far the country has registered 10 cases of monkeypox, including the deceased patient.

The last three reported cases are people between 20 and 49 years old, who were identified in the provinces of Santa Elena, Los Ríos and Azuay. They are stable in their homes and under surveillance; In addition, the epidemiological fence with his close contacts has been lifted.

The Undersecretary of Public Health Surveillance announced that it is investigating whether there is a relationship between these three cases; If the investigations conclude that there was no relationship, it could be determined that they were community infections, which will be reported at the time, Pérez said. Of the people suffering from the disease, currently four have already come out of isolation, while another five remain isolated.

The Ministry of Health called on citizens to maintain biosafety measures, such as hand hygiene with soap and water or alcohol gel. In case of symptoms, it is recommended to wear a mask and see a doctor. Before the death of the person sick with monkeypox was confirmed, the first case of contagion had been confirmed in Santa Elena. Ecuador confirmed the first case on July 6. According to a statement from the Ministry of Public Health, it was a 30-year-old patient who presented symptoms related to that disease.

The post Patient with monkeypox dies in Ecuador – it was due to a pre-existing condition appeared first on Monkeypox meter.

Last updated:

A four-year-old from Pforzheim has contracted monkeypox. It is the first case of a child in Germany. When it comes to quarantine, the local health department follows a clear line. There was speculation on the social network Twitter on Saturday, followed by official confirmation on Monday afternoon: a four-year-old girl was infected with monkeypox in Pforzheim. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), this is the first case of monkeypox in a child in Germany.

“The infection was caused by a close contact in the household,” said a spokesman for the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Health. “The child has not developed any symptoms of the disease so far.” The child was therefore examined as a precaution after a case became known in the household. A throat swab then showed that the child was infected.

“Another household member is under health surveillance,” the spokesman continued. There should therefore be no other close contacts of the child who tested positive outside of the household. A total of 127 monkeypox cases had been reported in Baden-Württemberg by Monday afternoon, according to the RKI there are 2,916 nationwide.

Quarantine for those affected and household members

Angelika Edwards says there have already been three cases of monkeypox in Pforzheim. But these were adults, explains the deputy head of the Pforzheim/Enzkreis health department. “Children have really only rarely been affected so far.”

A clear line is being followed during quarantine: three weeks are set for those affected and close household members. In addition, one asks about the beginning of the symptoms and contact persons. As a result, the chances of preventing other people from being infected by the person concerned are very good. In general, however, emphasizes Edwards, further cases of monkeypox can also be expected in Germany. Transmission requires “really close physical contact”, which could also be hugs.

Regardless of this case, the RKI says in its general assessment of monkeypox cases: “According to current knowledge, transmission in this outbreak occurs primarily in the context of sexual activities, currently especially in men who have sexual contact with other men.” There are only seven female cases in Germany.

Two cases in young people from Stuttgart and Erfurt have become known – and now with the case from Pforzheim, for the first time, the case of a child. The RKI recently explained the danger: “As far as is known, most of those affected do not become seriously ill.”

The post First case of a child in Germany: four-year-old from Pforzheim infected with monkeypox appeared first on Monkeypox meter.

Last updated:

The Biden administration declared on Thursday monkeypox an emergency in public health as cases continue to increase throughout the US. The announcement was made at an information session by officials from the Department of Health and Human Services. The administration has come under fire in the past for its treatment of the outbreak and some have asked authorities to proclaim an emergency across the country immediately.

Since the very first US monkeypox outbreak was reported in the middle of May, over 6,600 cases, either confirmed or suspected, have been discovered throughout the United States. There have been cases identified across every state, with the exception of Montana in Wyoming and Montana.
The announcement follows an announcement by the World Health Organization announcement last month that monkeypox was an emergency for public health that is of international significance. WHO defines an emergency in public health of international significance, or PHEIC to be “an extraordinary event” that is an “public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease” and “to potentially require a coordinated international response.”

Some states and cities such as New York City, San Francisco, California, Illinois and New York, have already declared monkeypox an emergency situation, which allows them to release funds and resources to fund their response to the outbreak.

On Tuesday the president Joe Biden named Robert Fenton as the White House’s national monkeypox coordinator. Fenton is an area Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator who is responsible for Arizona, California, Hawaii and Nevada is expected to coordinate responses by the Federal government to this outbreak. Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control of the United States and director for the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, serves as the deputy coordinator.

USA Monkeypox
Tracker

Click for Statistics, news, maps, graphs and cases count.

Last updated: Aug 8, 23:02 GMT

The post The United States declare monkeypox a public health emergency appeared first on Monkeypox meter.

Last updated:

Three states declared state of emergency in order to step up public health response to the outbreak of monkeypox. Governors from California and Illinois declared their state of emergency on Monday, as the total number of confirmed cases of monkeypox across the country exceeded 5,800, according to CDC count. They were following New York, which declared an emergency on Friday.

Nearly every state within the US – with the except for Montana and Wyoming – has reported at least one confirmed case of monkeypox. Three states that have the emergency orders currently in effect are also the ones that have the highest rate of cases. Other states with higher case rates compared the population they serve, like Georgia and Georgia, are expanding tests and vaccinations, but have not yet announced similar state-wide measures.

Monkeypox usually begins with symptoms that resemble flu like muscular aches and fevers that can progress into a massive itchy rash. But , with the present outbreak, some patients have suffered only the rash or smaller lesions that could be mistaken with other ailments. The virus is spread from people by contact with close proximity, generally for long periods, and also by touching surfaces with infected.

New York became the first state to issue an state-wide order regarding the disease following the health department declared monkeypox as an “imminent threat to public health.” Governor. Kathy Hochul said the executive order will speed up responses to state’s outbreak, which includes the need to get more New Yorkers vaccined.

“After reviewing the latest data on the monkeypox outbreak in New York State, I am declaring a State Disaster Emergency to strengthen our aggressive ongoing efforts to confront this outbreak,” Hochul stated in the declaration. “More than one in four monkeypox cases in this country are in New York State, and we need to utilize every tool in our arsenal as we respond.”

Then , over the weekend officials from New York City declared their own public health emergency . They declared that the city is “currently the epicenter of the outbreak” with more than 150,000 residents in danger of monkeypox. On the morning of Monday New York, the largest state in the nation has confirmed more than 1400 cases of monkeypox, according to CDC information. New York is ahead of the states with the highest incidence rate in relation to the population, The Hill reported.

The declaration of a state of emergency typically allows governors and local government agencies to deploy the resources needed to areas affected faster. If declared in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic in the past, these orders allowed officials access to a stockpile in medical supplies. Governors may also temporarily suspend specific regulations and rules during the event of a health emergency. This permitted them to implement the masking of mandates, lockdown orders as well as other restrictions during the time of the pandemic.

In the case of monkeypox, the New York emergency expands the number of people who are able to administer the vaccine to include EMS pharmacists, EMS workers, and midwives, as per Hochul.

When Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker declared an emergency in public health Monday, he said it would “expand the resources” needed to deal with the outbreak. Illinois is one of the states that has one of the highest number of monkeypox cases recorded, with 520 cases after California with over 820 instances.

“The Monkeypox Virus is a rare, but potentially serious disease that requires the full mobilization of all available public health resources to prevent the spread,” Pritzker stated in a Twitter declaration Monday.

California issued its warning later Monday to boost the state health department’s educational efforts, and to seek out additional vaccines for monkeypox, and permit EMS personnel to administer doses as they do in New York.

“California is working urgently across all levels of government to slow the spread of monkeypox, leveraging our robust testing, contact tracing and community partnerships strengthened during the pandemic to ensure that those most at risk are our focus for vaccines, treatment and outreach,” California Governor. Gavin Newsom said in an announcement.

USA Monkeypox
Tracker

Click for Statistics, news, maps, graphs and cases count.

The post New York, California and Illinois declare states of emergency over the monkeypox outbreak  appeared first on Monkeypox meter.

Last updated:

Today President Biden appointed the FEMA’s Robert Fenton as the White House National Monkeypox Response Coordinator and Dr. Demetre Daskalakis as the White House National Monkeypox Response Deputy Coordinator. Fenton along with Daskalakis are expected to direct the administration’s strategies and actions to fight the current outbreak of monkeypox and will ensure that there is a fair increase in the number of tests, vaccines and treatments.

Robert Fenton currently serves as Regional Administrator for FEMA Region 9 in the American West, with nearly 50 million people living in his responsibility area. One of the nation’s most effective and experienced emergency management experts, Robert Fenton has twice been the Acting Administrator of FEMA and has led numerous challenging emergency response, prevention and recovery operations throughout his lengthy and distinguished career, which included for natural disasters, diseases outbreaks, and complicated humanitarian operations.

Demetre Daskalakis is a prominent public health specialist and director of the CDC Division of HIV Prevention. He is a nationally recognized expert in health issues that impact those in the LGBGQIAand communities of color, her practice is focused on providing treatment for those who are not served LGBTQIAand communities. He previously managed the control of infectious diseases at The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, one of the largest agencies in the country and was also the an incident commander for the city’s COVID-19 response.

Fenton and Daskalakis together have more than 40 years of expertise with Federal Emergency response as well as public health management, which includes managing the operation and implementation of crucial elements of Biden’s intervention to combat the COVID-19 epidemic, and directing local as well as Federal Public Health Emergency initiatives including controlling infectious diseases and HIV prevention. Both played a key role in creating COVID vaccines more accessible to communities that are not served and in closing the gap between equity and adult vaccination rates through the establishment and implementation of FEMA mass vaccination programs in some of the nation’s poorest communities, as well as working with the community’s trusted residents to improve vaccine confidence.

“We look forward to partnering with Bob Fenton and Demetre Dasklalakis as we work to end the monkeypox outbreak in America,” said U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra. “Bob’s experience in federal and regional response coordination, and Demetre’s vast knowledge of our public health systems’ strengths and limits will be instrumental as we work to stay ahead of the virus and advance a whole-of-government response.”

“Bob Fenton and Dr. Daskalakis are proven, effective leaders that will lead a whole of government effort to implement President Biden’s comprehensive monkeypox response strategy with the urgency that this outbreak warrants,” said Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical Advisor to the Biden President. “From Bob’s work at FEMA leading COVID-19 mass vaccination efforts and getting vaccines to underserved communities to Demetre’s extensive experience and leadership on health equity and STD and HIV prevention, this team will allow the Biden Administration to further accelerate and strengthen its monkeypox response.”

Fenton along with Daskalakis will oversee and coordinate actions to combat the virus throughout all of the White House and all Federal agencies and departments. They will collaborate together with state, local and national stakeholders to track and fight the spread of monkeypox. working with local and state partners to ensure that they have the right resources to treat, test and vaccine at-risk patients along with health professionals and clinicians regarding available tests, treatments and vaccine options, and working with stakeholder groups on developing an understanding of the virus among the public and ways to combat the issue most effectively.

Since the first monkeypox case was discovered within the United States on May 18 in the year 2000, the Biden-Harris Administration has had a extensive and aggressive plan to stop the spread of the disease and safeguard those who are most at in danger. This Administration has made more than 1.1 million doses the vaccine available to cities and states across the nation to stop spreading the disease. It has increased the number of tests available from 6,000 weekly tests to more than 80,000 tests per week and regularly communicated with health professionals and local health departments, encouraging patients to use tests more frequently. This Administration is also making treatment easier for patients and health professionals and has also established a comprehensive outreach plan to engage with health professionals, public health officials and members of the LGBTQIAand community in order to raise awareness of the virus and also to promote prevention as well as response and treatment strategies. The Administration also recently unveiled its monkeypox research agenda hoping to inspire the global community to pinpoint and close any gaps in knowledge about the virus in order to speed up and increase the response of the world.

In the next few months, with the direction by Fenton and Daskalakis The Administration will accelerate and advance the United States’ monkeypox response to slow spreading of this virus. ensure that those who are most susceptible to contracting the disease, and take care for those affected by it.

More details about Robert Fenton and Dr. Demetre Daskalakis is available below:

Robert Fenton, White House National Monkeypox Response Coordinator

Robert Fenton serves as Regional Administrator for FEMA Region 9 in the American West, with nearly 50 million residents in his jurisdiction. He has more than 25 years of experience in Federal emergency response, which includes acting twice as the acting Administrator of FEMA and most recently in the initial month of the Biden Harris Administration. As acting Administrator during the start of the Biden Administration, Fenton oversaw FEMA’s massive vaccination efforts which brought vaccination facilities in some of the nation’s most under-served communities. Fenton also was the Chief Response Officer in Operation Allies Welcome, where he was in charge of efforts to relocate 76,000 Afghan refugees on a record-breaking timeframe.

Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, White House National Monkeypox Response Deputy Coordinator

The Dr. Demetre Daskalakis serves as Director of the Division of HIV Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control, which is where he supervises HIV prevention initiatives. The Dr. Daskalakis worked in the CDC COVID-19 response as a leader in health equity and as head of the vaccination task team. Before joining CDC in the year 2000, Dr. Daskalakis served as New York City Department of Health’s Deputy Commissioner for its Division of Disease Control. In this position as Deputy Commissioner, Dr. Daskalakis oversaw many of the city’s HIV as well as STD educational and intervention programs. He contributed to bringing HIV prevalence to a historic low. He was also the Incident Commander during COVID-19, and Measles outbreaks. He has written more than 60 academic papers and is widely acknowledged for his knowledge and advocacy for health issues that affect people of the LGBTQIA+ communities.

The post Biden taps FEMA and CDC officials to lead monkeypox response appeared first on Monkeypox meter.

Last updated:

Peru has recorded on Monday the first death of a monkeypox infected person. There have been over 300 instances of the disease reported in the country up to now an official from the health department said. The patient who died occurred in “a patient who came to hospital in a serious condition with monkeypox and their health weakened after abandoning treatment for HIV/Aids,” according to Eduardo Farfan, director of the Dos de Mayo hospital in Lima.

The man, aged 45 was pronounced dead “of sepsis” due to an immune system that was weak according to Farfan.He was admitted to a hospital with an acute monkeypox infection as well as “other comorbidities,” said the director.

Farfan stated that his hospital was treating eight or nine cases monkeypox daily, as outpatients.

In the words of the WHO the WHO, more than 20,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported across the globe, excluding Africa from the beginning of May. The majority of them found in Europe.

The post Peru registers first monkeypox death – a man aged 45. appeared first on Monkeypox meter.

Last updated:

The monkeypox virus may remain unaffected for several days and weeks in refrigerated food items and in water, as per an analysis by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate. Monkeypox continues to spread all over the globe and five deaths have occurred on Friday and Saturday of the previous week.

These are the first deaths of this kind to be verified in a different region than Africa. The number of cases continues to rise and there were more than 22485 confirmed cases of the disease reported across the globe at the time of July 29 According to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC). Most of them were reported in countries that had not previously reported cases of monkeypox.

There’s a lot scientists do not yet know about this outbreak, not least the reason why it’s happening at this time, when historically , the disease has been in the region of West as well as Central Africa.

However there are many doctors that know about the illness, and many details were provided within the DHS Science and Technology report that was released on in July.

The report includes everything from transmission to doses that can cause infection. A section provides information on how we can determine environment-wide longevity of the Monkeypox virus, in terms of how long it can live without the body.

The report provides the monkeypox being “very stable” in the surroundings and states that it could be present “for days to weeks in water, soil, and on refrigerated food.” The report also states that the virus can persist for months or even years within of scabs.

The report doesn’t mention what time the virus is able to remain on surfaces, however the CDC reported that researchers found the virus alive fifteen days after the patient’s house was abandoned in one study.

The CDC also stated that poxviruses such as monkeypox could remain in clothes, linens and other surfaces, particularly in cool, dark dry conditions. Materials with pores, such as clothing and bedding can hold virus-infected cells for longer than nonporous substances like glass, plastic or even metal, the CDC stated.

Other orthopoxviruses closely related to each other are able to survive in a home-like space for months.

Regarding decontamination, the DHS report noted that at the time of writing there was no evidence of the effectiveness of the most popular anti-mumps and disinfectants, however bleach is recommended for new viruses. The report also stated that tests using the vaccinia virus, a close cousin of monkeypox – suggests that the dispersants Virkon, Dettol and Sanytex are efficient.

Surface survival is vital as experts understand that the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases is a major part for this year’s spreading of this disease in the past, the monkeypox is spread through contaminated objects, such as clothing.

The virus can also be spread through contacts with the itchy rash it triggers and contact with body fluids and respiratory secretions, and intimate contacts such as kissing, sex, and extended face-to-face interactions in public, the CDC declared. In addition, pregnant women may transmit the virus to the foetus. Furthermore, it is possible to contract the virus from infected animals, which includes their food.

In this DHS study, base reproduction number, also known as the R-value, of monkeypox is expected to range between 0.57 to 0.96 although an upper limit of 1.25 has been reported. The R-number of a virus refers to the number of people that are affected by an affected person. The R-value for the current outbreak isn’t established. It is believed that the rate of transmission monkeypox is increasing over time.

The post Monkeypox Can Survive for Weeks in Water and on Refrigerated Food appeared first on Monkeypox meter.