Image Source: Dado Ruvic/REUTERS
Global cases of Monkeypox have reached a threshold. In recent data, the virus has affected over 1,000 people across the globe prompting the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to widen calls for precaution and guidance.
The CDC has notified travelers to wear facemasks and to follow strict guidelines so the virus will not spread further.
Alert Level 2 has been raised by the CDC as they order people to “practice enhanced precautions” to counter the spread of Monkeypox.
So far, the virus has spread to 29 countries where the virus is nonendemic. If the alert level is raised to 3, it would mean that nonessential travel will be banned.
The CDC said that the risk of the virus is relatively low. However, they warned people to still take measures against the proliferation of the virus, including avoiding close contact with sick people or people with skin lesions.
The health body has also urged people with Monkeypox symptoms, like rashes, lesions, fever, or cough, to immediately notify health authorities.
Monkeypox is endemic to Central and West Africa. However, in the past months, there have been reports of outbreaks in North America, Australia, and Europe, which sent alarms to several health organizations.
The virus, as stated above, can cause fever, headaches, rashes, muscle aches, back pain, and swelling.
In the last tally on Monday, there are 1,019 confirmed and suspected cases of Monkeypox coming from 29 countries.
Out of all the countries, the U.K. recorded the highest cases with 302. Spain followed with 198, Portugal has 153, and Canada with 80 cases.
The World Health Organization has been conducting queries and studies as to how the virus spread. On Wednesday, the WHO said that Monkeypox might have been spreading undetected for “weeks, months, or possibly a couple of years.”
Monkeypox in the U.S.
The CDC announced Friday that two strains of Monkeypox are spreading across the U.S. “While they’re similar to each other, their genetic analysis shows that they’re not linked to each other,” said Jennifer McQuiston, the deputy director of the CDC’s high consequence pathogens and pathology division.
The country has confirmed 30 cases so far.
“Diseases that were locally spread are now able to make their way across countries and continents much more easily,” explained Eyal Leshem, a professor and infectious disease specialist at Israel’s Sheba Medical Center.
“Meanwhile, interaction between humans and animals has also amplified. Climate change has forced some animals into closer contact with humans, you will see more of these types of diseases.”
The U.S. authorities have prepared 36,000 doses of vaccines against Monkeypox and plan to ship them to high-risk individuals.
