The symptoms of monkeypox are similar to those of the flu and there are lesions on the skin.
Photo: Pablo Blazquez/Getty Images
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Friday the detection of two cases of monkeypox in childrenwho are currently undergoing treatment.
The health authority clarified that one of the children, who has not been identified, is from California, while the other does not reside in the United States. They are currently in good health, the agency said.
Monkeypox, with flu-like symptoms and skin lesions, has spread widely among men who have had sex with men. The origin of the disease is indicated in the countries of West and Central Africa, where it is endemic, and which spreads mainly by close contact, pointed out Reuters.
So far in 2022, more than 14,000 cases of monkeypox in more than 60 countries and five deaths on the African continent.
In a conference call compiled by Reuters, Dr. Jennifer McQuiston, deputy director of the CDC’s Division of Pathology and High Consequence Pathogens, said it was no surprise that pediatric cases of monkeypox were appeared.
“There is no evidence to date that we are seeing this virus spread outside of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men communities.McQuiston said.
She noted that 99% of the 2,891 confirmed cases of monkeypox in the United States involve sex with other men, but there have also been a handful of transgender women and men who have been identified.
For his part, the White House’s Covid-19 response coordinator, Dr. Ashish Jha, said on the same call that the government has delivered 300,000 doses of the new monkeypox vaccine and is working to expedite the shipment of another 786,000 doses from Denmark.
He added that there are enough vaccines available to apply the first dose of the vaccine to more than half of the eligible population in New York and more than 70% of the eligible population in Washington DC.
Jha noted that the United States is still evaluating whether the monkeypox outbreak should be declared a public health emergency and exploring ways to improve the response.
The mortality rate in previous outbreaks in Africa of the current strain was around 1%.but the outbreak has so far been less lethal in non-endemic countries, although several patients reported being hospitalized with severe pain.
With information from Reuters
You might also like:
• Confirmed cases of monkeypox in Puerto Rico rise to eight
• Dallas, Texas spa visitor may have infected multiple men with monkeypox after sex in sauna
• Monkeypox: why it hasn’t been possible to stop the spread of the disease (and what risks it carries if an emergency has not been declared)