First DC Monkeypox Case Recorded During Pride Month

By Charles Susswein | Monday, 06 June 2022 04:45 PM
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First DC Monkeypox Case Recorded During Pride Month

The first positive case of orthopox, a family of viruses that includes monkeypox, has been reported in a DC resident who recently spread to Europe, according to health officials in the nation's capital.

The DC Public Health Lab said in a press release that samples have been gathered from the infected person and sent to the CDC for further analysis. The CDC will verify if the person has contracted monkeypox.

In the statement, officials said that the infected person is isolated and that close contacts are being notified. No additional cases have been reported in the DC area. Officials said that there is no danger to the public from this person.

Symptoms of the disease include muscle aches, fever and headache that are followed by a rash or lesions.

Monkeypox has been detected in 11 states.

Anybody who is feeling symptoms is asked to contact their healthcare provider and seek medical attention.

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Potential cases of the virus have also been confirmed in Atlanta and San Francisco among people who have recently crossed to areas where the virus is dominant.

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On June 3, the CDC confirmed 25 cases of monkeypox in the United States. The first positive case in the US came on May 18 when it was detected in a person who recently returned from Canada.

Two various strains have been found in the U.S., with a vast majority of cases corresponding to the same strain that has been found across Europe in recent weeks.

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Both strains are of the less-severe Western African variant. Two different strains imply that there were multiple animal-to-human transfers of the virus that eventually led to U.S. cases, though.

Raj Panjabi, senior director for the White House's global health security and biodefense division, said on June 4 that 1,200 vaccines and 100 treatment courses had been delivered to U.S. states, where they were offered to close contacts of those infected.

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There are currently two authorized vaccines: ACAM2000 and JYNNEOS, which were originally developed against smallpox.

Though smallpox has been eliminated, the United States retains the vaccines in a strategic national reserve in case it is deployed as a biological weapon.

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JENOS is the more modern of the two vaccines, with fewer side effects.

The World Health Organization has reported 780 worldwide cases of monkeypox as of June 5, reports the BBC.

That's close to triple the 257 cases the agency reported a week ago. That number does not include Central and West Africa, where the disease is commonly found.

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