The monkeypox outbreak in the US continues to rise and the government is releasing more doses of the monkeypox vaccine to people at high risk of getting infected. The majority of these cases appear to have been contracted during international travel and exposure to a known case of monkeypox.
Federal health officials said that several states have now joined the list of locations for the 2022 monkeypox outbreak, including Nebraska, Colorado, and Utah while Wyoming remains monkeypox-free.
Second Probable Monkeypox in Nebraska
Douglas County in Nebraska has reported a second probable case of monkeypox, a local news outlet reported. The Douglas Health Department announced the case Tuesday and called it "probable" because the patient has no known contact with a confirmed case.
The patient is now isolated in their home and is receiving outpatient care. The health department is also conducting contact tracing to identify those who might have been exposed to the second patient.
According to Nebraska Public Media, the first monkeypox case in the county was confirmed last week who was a man in his 30s with international travel history.
Despite the two recent cases in the county and Nebraska, the local health department said that the risk of the public contracting the virus remains low. However, it is advisable to immediately seek help from a medical health care provider in case someone develops a rash that might be related to monkeypox, especially when they are exposed to a positive case.
The US has already confirmed 605 monkeypox cases based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) 2022 US Map & Case Count. Health officials announced that they have expanded their testing capacity to detect infected individuals.
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Wyoming Remains Free of Monkeypox
Wyoming is surrounded by states with confirmed cases of monkeypox that have joined the list of locations with the 2022 outbreak. Fortunately, Wyoming remains free of monkeypox and the CDC wants to raise awareness of the situation as the disease outbreak continues to rise, albeit gradually.
Other countries are also dealing with monkeypox cases, especially in Europe where the virus is not usually detected. Early data shows that the high numbers of monkeypox cases occurred in gay and bisexual men. Although health officials remind the public that the virus is not sexually transmitted and is not exclusive to certain groups of people.
It is not yet clear how the known cases were exposed to the monkeypox virus, but anyone who has been in close contact with them has become at risk. CDC activated its emergency operations center last week to monitor and coordinate the response and mobilized more personnel and resources against the growing outbreak.
Since May, the known cases of monkeypox in the US have been identified in 18 state and territories among people who returned after international travel and has passed the virus to their close contacts. More so, there are about 1,600 confirmed monkeypox cases around the world in more than 30 countries.
In a June health alert, CDC says that some cases in the US have uncharacteristic features that have raised concern that there could be infected individuals that are unrecognized and untested.
Symptoms of monkeypox typically include fever, headache, muscle aches, chills, exhaustion, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash that can look like blisters. Anyone with these symptoms should immediately seek medical care.
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