The monkeypox virus has now reached all 50 states after Wyoming reported its first positive case on Monday.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) provided the information in its most recent update.
“Because monkeypox spreads through close, intimate contact we do not believe the risk for the virus is now a higher concern for the local community or for most people in Wyoming,” Alexia Harrist, state health officer and state epidemiologist with the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) said in a statement on Monday. “Monkeypox does not spread easily like familiar viruses such as influenza or COVID-19.”
The state is currently offering the monkeypox vaccine for eligible recipients, according to the statement.
As of August 22, a total of 15,433 confirmed cases of monkeypox/orthopoxvirus have been recorded by the CDC, though zero deaths have been confirmed. New York leads among states with 2,910 cases, followed by California with 2,663 cases.
Globally, more than 42,000 cases have been reported, with the U.S. having the most cases, followed by Spain at 6,119 cases. No other nation has currently reported more than 3,500 cases.
The Department of Human and Health Services (DHS) declared monkeypox a public health emergency on August 4.
“In light of evolving circumstances on the ground, I am declaring a public health emergency on #monkeypox,” DHS Secretary Xavier Becerra wrote. “We are prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus. We urge every American to take monkeypox seriously.”
In light of evolving circumstances on the ground, I am declaring a public health emergency on #monkeypox. We are prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus. We urge every American to take monkeypox seriously.
— Secretary Xavier Becerra (@SecBecerra) August 4, 2022
On Thursday, the White House released a fact sheet to announce new actions to combat the monkeypox outbreak. The actions include making 1.8 million vaccine doses available.
President Joe Biden also announced new leadership to oversee the nation’s monkeypox response earlier this month. The president named FEMA’s Robert Fenton as the White House national monkeypox response coordinator and Dr. Demetre Daskalakis as the White House national monkeypox response deputy coordinator.
The first case of monkeypox was confirmed in the U.S. on May 18, according to the announcement.
“Over the coming weeks, under the leadership of Fenton and Daskalakis, the Administration will advance and accelerate the United States’ monkeypox response to mitigate the spread of the virus, protect individuals most at risk of contracting the virus, and care for those who have been afflicted with it,” the White House statement read.
According to the CDC, monkeypox can spread to anyone through direct contact with monkeypox rash, scabs, or body fluids from a person with monkeypox, touching objects, fabrics, and surfaces that have been used by someone with monkeypox, or contact with respiratory secretions. “This direct contact can happen during intimate contact,” the CDC adds.
The illness generally lasts two to four weeks and is rarely fatal, according to the CDC’s description. Monkeypox can also be spread from animals, it added.