Cases of monkeypox have been spreading quickly in the US. The first case was reported two months ago. Now the total number of cases is 3,400. Of these, about 1,100 cases have been reported in New York. Epidemiological data about the virus, however, isn't easily available, making it difficult for authorities to respond to the outbreak effectively
"It's a new and really fast-moving outbreak, and I think there have been some challenges around having a smooth and efficient way for the data to be sent from jurisdictions" to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Janet Hamilton, executive director of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists told CNN.
On July 23, WHO declared monkeypox a global health emergency. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus decided to issue the declaration despite a lack of consensus among members of WHO's emergency committee. It was the first time the chief of the UN health agency has taken such an action.
“In short, we have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly through new modes of transmission about which we understand too little and which meets the criteria in the international health regulations,” Tedros said at the time.
The CDC, in its first public outlook on monkeypox, revealed that the majority of cases have been among men who have sex with men, with a median age of 36. The agency also said that it has information of about only 50 per cent of the reported cases. The Biden administration is debating on whether to declare the disease an emergency in the US. Testing has been limited so far, with regards to monkeypox in the US and around the world, which means the number of cases of the disease reported is marginally less than the actual number.
Dr Preeti Malani, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Michigan, told NPR that monkeypox has a longer incubation period and it can be weeks before the symptoms develop.
-- With PTI inputs
