The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified nine cases of monkeypox across seven U.S. states, officials said Thursday: in California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Utah, Virginia and Washington.
“The U.S. has the resources we need to help us respond to monkeypox in this country right now. We’ve been preparing for this type of outbreak for decades,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a briefing. The CDC did not clarify in the Thursday briefing whether all nine cases have been confirmed.
Laboratories use orthopoxvirus tests to identify monkeypox cases. Orthopoxvirus is a category of viruses that includes smallpox and monkeypox, but smallpox can be ruled out because it has been eradicated. The cases are so far all among men who have sex with men, though Walensky emphasized that “the risk of exposure is not limited to any one particular group.”
Patients often develop a rash that progresses to small bumps on the skin, followed by blisters that may fill with whitish fluid. Experts remain optimistic that the outbreak can be contained through contact tracing and targeted vaccinations.
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