OAN’s Abril Elfi
5:03 PM – Tuesday, April 2, 2024
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have stated that the number of individuals infected with mpox in 2024 has already almost doubled the number of cases reported in all of 2023.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, has recorded 582 cases in the United States in 2024, according to the most recent data from the CDC.
The data almost doubled the number of cases recorded during the entirety of 2023, which was only 299.
With 185 cases, the Middle Atlantic region, which includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, is currently reporting the highest number.
The number of cases in the United States increased in 2022.
That year, 58 deaths and over 32,000 cases of mpox were reported in the United States.
Outreach and awareness campaigns, along with the use of the two-dose smallpox vaccine Jynneos, helped to contain the outbreak. Initially, limited supplies and careless planning made it difficult for people to receive the shot.
The virus causes flu-like symptoms, which include a painful rash. Although skin-to-skin contact between homosexual or bisexual men is the main method of transmission, unwashed clothing and bed linens from an infected person can also act as a vector.
Even though the cases of mpox never reached zero after the outbreak, the public health emergency declared the virus to expire in January 2023.
Bavarian Nordic, the manufacturer of Jynneos, announced on Tuesday that its vaccine would now be commercially available in the U.S.
“Through its existing nationwide vaccine distribution structure, Bavarian Nordic is now making the mpox vaccine commercially available across the nation. As of April 1, health care providers can order JYNNEOS through their preferred wholesaler and distribution partners to make it available for at-risk individuals at local pharmacies and physician offices in addition to public health clinics,” the company said in a statement.
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