The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently warned of a potential outbreak of monkeypox (mpox) due to an avalanche of June Pride Month parades, festivals and protests.
As per the CDC risk assessment, an "uptick in mpox cases in Chicago that began in mid-April underscores the risk of renewed mpox outbreaks, which we judge is substantial across the United States." According to the warning, the health agency continues to assess the risk of resurgent mpox outbreaks and it found that the risk of outbreaks could further increase as people gather this spring and summer for festivals and other events with high potential for skin-to-skin contact or increased sexual activity.
CDC admitted that gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men make up the majority of the infectious disease cases in the country. But the agency further warned that anyone who has been in close, personal contact with someone who has monkeypox is also at risk.
According to the CDC, healthcare providers should also rapidly report cases to local public health officials and event organizers should take steps to reduce the spread of the virus associated with their events and "work with local health authorities to coordinate vaccination at their events, if possible, as well as establish communication and outreach plans."
Diagnosed cases have been "increasing slightly" in eight countries in recent weeks, including France and several countries in East Asia, said Dr. Rosamund Lewis, the World Health Organization (WHO) technical lead for monkeypox. About half of the recent French cases were in vaccinated people.
The CDC also acknowledged in the risk assessment release that it was looking into a theory that the monkeypox virus "may have evolved mutations to evade the two-dose Jynneos vaccines that were rolled out last year to protect against it," CBS News reported. (Related: CDC warns of possible monkeypox outbreak recurrence this summer – majority of new cases are in people vaccinated against the disease.)
"CDC is collaborating with the Chicago Department of Health to investigate this cluster and specifically looking into why we are seeing more vaccinated cases than expected," Dr. Christopher Braden, head of the CDC's mpox response, said in a recent call with clinicians.
Mpox resurgence could be due to its resistance to antiviral drug used against it
In an unpublished study that has yet to be peer-reviewed, the CDC reported monkeypox strains had turned up with signs of resistance to tecovirimat (TPOXX), the main antiviral drug used to treat patients.
"These findings inform our understanding of when tecovirimat resistance is likely to occur and highlight the need for additional [Orthopoxvirus] OPXV therapeutics," the research indicated.
One of those worrying mutations was also detected "in a cluster of cases" around Los Angeles in California. That suggests drug-resistant monkeypox can be transmitted person-to-person in at least "rare cases."
Meanwhile, CBS News reported that the U.S. is still averaging less than three cases reported each day.
Learn more about monkeypox outbreaks in the U.S. at MonkeypoxReport.com.
Watch the video below that talks about President Joe Biden's monkeypox czar Demetre Daskalakis.
This video is from the Thrivetime Show channel on Brighteon.com.
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