Monkeypox Outbreak Reaches 257 Confirmed Cases Worldwide

As of Sunday, the World Health Organization received reports of 257 confirmed Monkeypox cases and about 120 suspected cases in 23 nations where the virus is not endemic as of Thursday. As of Friday afternoon, the CDC reported 12 cases in eight states in the U.S. Also, in five African countries where Monkeypox is common, the World Health Organization said it received 1,365 reports and 69 deaths due to the virus. They were reported between mid-December to late May. No deaths have been reported in non-endemic countries. Also according to the WHO, ‘since 2017 few deaths of persons with Monkeypox in West Africa have been associated with young age or an untreated HIV infection.’ The WHO is urging health care providers to watch closely for possible symptoms and to offer testing to anyone who has them. According to the organization, ‘the public health risk could become high if this virus exploits the opportunity to establish itself as a human pathogen and spreads to groups at risk of severe disease such as young children and immunosuppressed people.’