US Limits On Monkeypox Testing May Squander Window To Control Outbreak
Some public health experts say the U.S. must expand the 74 labs currently authorized to test suspected monkeypox samples. Meanwhile, HHS orders more vaccine to bolster the national stockpile, while the CDC raised its monkeypox alert to level 2 as global cases surpass 1,000.
Stat:
'Testing Bottleneck' For Monkeypox Puts Control At Risk, Experts Warn
Infectious disease specialists are growing increasingly concerned by the U.S. strategy for testing for monkeypox, warning that it’s creating a bottleneck and squandering the limited time the country may have to get the outbreak under control. Under the current system, specimens must be sent to one of 74 laboratories across the country before being sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Experts who spoke with STAT argue the United States should be testing more broadly for monkeypox, allowing more labs to become part of the process. (Branswell and Joseph, 6/7)
CNBC:
CDC Raises Monkeypox Alert As Global Cases Surpass 1,000
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stepped up its monkeypox guidance, urging travelers to take extra precautions including wearing face masks as global cases of the virus surpass 1,000. The CDC ramped up its alert to a level 2 on Monday, encouraging people to “practice enhanced precautions” to stem the outbreak, which has spread to 29 non-endemic countries in the past month. The highest level alert — level 3 — would caution against non-essential travel. (Gilchrist, 6/7)
Reuters:
U.S. To Get 36,000 More Monkeypox Vaccine Doses This Week, HHS Says
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Monday it had instructed monkeypox vaccine manufacturer Bavarian Nordic to deliver an additional 36,000 doses this week as part of a drawdown from a U.S. vaccine stockpile. In a statement, HHS said the doses will be added to the existing 36,000 in the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile. Bavarian Nordic's vaccine, called Jynneos, is approved to treat both monkeypox and smallpox. (Steenhuysen, 6/6)
More cases reported —
Los Angeles Times:
Suspected Monkeypox Cases Rise In California; Officials Expect More To Come
The number of confirmed and suspected monkeypox cases in California climbed to six on Monday as officials in L.A. County and San Francisco said they were prepared to see more cases. Officials said it was crucial that people become aware of the symptoms and healthcare providers be on alert for new cases, as the telltale rash — which has been seen in some recent cases first in the genital area — can sometimes appear similar to more common sexually transmitted infections. Health officials say they’re hoping to contain the monkeypox outbreak but say it’s possible there is already community spread of the virus. (Lin II, 6/6)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
First Suspected Case Of Monkeypox In Georgia Confirmed By CDC
The Georgia Department of Public Health on Monday confirmed a man earlier suspected of having monkeypox is positive for the virus. DPH said last week a man who lives in metro Atlanta with a history of international travel had shown symptoms, but more testing was needed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to confirm the case. The Georgia man had tested positive for orthopoxvirus, which is a family of viruses monkeypox belongs to — further tests were needed to confirm he has monkeypox. The man was ordered into isolation where public health officials are monitoring his symptoms, according to DPH. The agency is also tracing his recent contacts, but said there are no other suspected cases in the state at this time. (Oliviero and Hansen, 6/6)
AP:
UK: 77 New Monkeypox Cases, Biggest Outbreak Outside Africa
British health officials reported 77 more monkeypox cases on Monday, raising the total to more than 300 across the country. To date, the U.K. has the biggest identified outbreak of the disease beyond Africa, with the vast majority of infections in gay and bisexual men. Health officials warn that anyone, regardless of their sexual orientation, is potentially at risk of catching monkeypox if they are in close contact with a patient, their clothing or their bed sheets. (Cheng, 6/6)
More on monkeypox —
Fox News:
Monkeypox Cases May Have Been Spreading Undetected In US, Europe For Years
Monkeypox cases may have been spreading out of Africa undetected for years before the initial case was confirmed on May 13, according to the World Health Organization. Monkeypox is a well known virus that does not pose anything like the threat of COVID-19. Typically, Monkeypox cases are only found in those outside of Africa when an individual has recently traveled to the continent. The cases in May popped up nearly simultaneously across the globe in people who have not recently been to Africa, however. "The sudden and unexpected appearance of monkeypox simultaneously in several non-endemic countries suggests that there might have been undetected transmission for some unknown duration of time followed by recent amplifier events," the WHO wrote. (Hagstrom, 6/6)
Boston Herald:
Monkeypox Outbreak: Boston Doctor On Surveillance Team That Helped ID First Cases, Says Outbreak Shows How 'Vulnerable We Are' To New Pathogens
A leading infectious diseases expert in Boston who’s on a surveillance team that helped identify the first monkeypox cases in Europe says he doesn’t expect the virus to become a “big epidemic,” but cautioned that many questions remain about the outbreak. Davidson Hamer, a Boston University School of Public Health infectious diseases specialist, also told the Herald that this novel outbreak coming after two-plus years of the COVID-19 pandemic “shows how vulnerable we are to the introduction of new pathogens.” Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are tracking many cases of monkeypox that have been reported in several countries that don’t normally report monkeypox, including the U.S., which has 24 confirmed cases. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported the first case in the country. (Sobey, 6/6)
