CDC investigates possible resurgence of mpox amid dozens of new cases nationwide

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Said On Wednesday, it was working with multiple health departments to investigate new mpox cases across the country, but officials welcomed the pace of weekly new infections slowing to zero nationwide. less than a month has passed since.

News of the CDC investigation comes the next day Chicago health authorities They warned that they tracked a resurgence of infections from mpox. Previously Monkeypox, many among the fully vaccinated population.

“Most weeks we haven’t seen a single case of mpox. We saw six infections.” Chicago Health Department, said on Tuesday.

Of the 13 newly confirmed or probable cases in the city, nine were fully vaccinated men, local officials said. with an alert Distributed to healthcare providers.

None of the 13 patients were hospitalized. Four people have recently traveled outside of Chicago, according to the Chicago Department of Health. New York City, New Orleans, Mexico.

The CDC says it still recommends that at-risk Americans get two doses of the Jynneos vaccine to protect themselves from the virus. urged Physicians should test all symptomatic patients, regardless of vaccination status.

“It is still very important to get vaccinated. Vaccines are not 100% effective, and while it is possible to be infected after vaccination, it may be mild and less likely to result in hospitalization,” the CDC said. I’m here. director Published this week.

new cases

After CDC’s last tally April 26thhealth authorities welcomed nationwide rolling Mean new cases slow down to zero.

Since then, more than 60 total reported to the CDC in eight states.

Two states, with 31 in Texas and 15 in Illinois, added 12 or more infections to the tally. Smaller numbers of cases have also been reported in California, Louisiana, New York, Alabama, Florida and Oregon.

However, not all of these additional cases were actually diagnosed in the last two weeks.

“At least 17 of the newly reported cases are from 2022, and three are from January and February of this year,” Lara Anton, spokesperson for the Texas Department of Health Services, said online. said in an email.

Anton said the agency recently worked with local jurisdictions to “settle some of their lawsuits.”

“We believe there are also some duplicate cases that were counted in the most recent data because there were issues with the CDC’s system handling cases recently,” Anton added.

A CDC spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Risk of relapse

For months, health officials have warned of a potential resurgence of mpox, especially around travel and gatherings related to pride celebrations in the coming months.

CDC modeling early this year predicted an ongoing risk of a resurgence in many communities in the United States, which could be exacerbated by weakened immunity.

“Monkeypox virus infection and vaccination likely confer some degree of immune protection over many years, based on evidence from smallpox disease and vaccination,” wrote the institutional modellers. “But if this protection wears off quickly or doesn’t effectively stop the virus from spreading, a resurgence of the epidemic is more likely.”

Abroad, new reported cases have risen in Asia in recent weeks, according to the World Health Organization figure, Japan, China and South Korea have reported dozens of new cases. Other parts of the world, including the Americas, continue to report new cases.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), said Wednesday.

Tedros was speaking to WHO meeting The agency was considering whether to end the mpox public health emergency.mpox US public health emergency already finished in January.

“Unfortunately, many countries are currently delaying surveillance and reducing access to testing and vaccines. It remains important that countries maintain their capacity and continue their efforts,” he said.