Monkeypox cases have been confirmed already in 46 states, and they only seem to be rising.
Following the COVID outbreak over the past few years, pandemics seem to surge again with the rising number of monkeypox cases so far confirmed.
There are allegedly 2,000 cases confirmed of monkeypox infection in around 46 states across the United States of America as of this week. However, now is a time to truly put what we have learned from the past pandemic outbreak about efficiently rolling out vaccines and treatments.
The first monkeypox case was discovered in May of this year in Massachusetts. With the speed with which it has infected 45 other states in America so far, including cases in Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, the government is facing online criticism on social media about the efficiency of testing and providing appropriate healthcare to those in need.
Although it feels similar to the COVID outbreak, healthcare experts insist that the symptoms are significantly different and monkeypox is not a new, unknown virus, but one with already existing vaccines.
Monkeypox was initially discovered in 1958 in a Danish animal facility, although it was reportedly first reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970. It is very common in Central and Western Africa, but outbreaks have passed those borders already in the past with some American cases in 2003.
Once infected, it usually takes 14 days for symptoms to show, or 21 days even. The symptoms to look out for are fever, headaches, body aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and fatigue. Monkeypox is often characterized by rashes and lesions that leave the skin inflamed, bumpy, and raised. These skin lesions tend to last up to a month, causing the disease to seem more frightful than others, although it is completely curable. It is even considered milder than smallpox. Only 3-6% of infected individuals can die from an infection (which is an extremely low rate) and usually only dangerous for children or immunocompromised individuals.
CDC representative Dr. Jennifer McQuiston says that they have been monitoring for a potential outbreak of the monkeypox virus for a few years in anticipation.
McQuiston claims:
“We’re all emerging from the last several years of COVID, exhausted and frustrated by the lessons that we all had to learn from that. I can tell you the CDC has been working from the very first day when the very first [monkeypox] case was reported here in the United States.”
Dr. McQuiston wants to avoid any additional frustration that can be riled up from social media, such as in one viral TikTok by Halle, 24 in Pennsylvania. Halle posted experiencing monkeypox-like symptoms but claimed she could not find anyone appropriate to test and/or treat her even after giving multiple visits and phone calls to her local doctors. Only after 5 days was Halle finally visited by a Pittsburgh clinician at the Central Outreach Wellness Center.
In addition to the slow response from health administrators that Americans seem to be upset by, the online social media world is also reporting on the exclusivity of the vaccine. People on Twitter are sharing tricks to haggle overloaded websites, tricks for waiting in line for queues that last up to eight hours, and even spotting white privilege as white customers seem to receive appointments for vaccinations before others in low-income neighborhoods. Twitter has even formed a viral trend that seems to encourage the idea that “the most exclusive and hottest new club seems to be the monkeypox vaccine line.” Understandable, this outrage creates a tidal wave of more fear for those living near infected areas.
The CDC wants to encourage all to believe that the vaccination roll-out for the monkeypox vaccine will not be similar to the chaos the COVID vaccine was shrouded in because there are already two approved in the US, the Jynneos and the ACAM2000. Research has proven that so far, fully vaccinated individuals for monkeypox receive protection from a future potential infection 85% of the time. They also have been noted to reduce the severity of any potential future exposures to the virus. Although the vaccine supply is currently limited, more will be coming. For now, the vaccine is being prioritized for those with confirmed exposure to the virus and people with a higher profile of risk.
The reason for the blocked up websites and long vaccination queues are because the preferred supply of Jynneos vaccine has been far exceeded by the demand. But, this month, the CDC has reported an additional 5 million Jynneos shots have been ordered, and in total, the US is expecting to receive 7 million Jynneoss doses by mid-2023.
So there is faith. If we use the lessons we have learned from this past pandemic outbreak, we will know that with patience and trust and a certain level of severity and respect towards others that are working in healthcare and towards those that are at higher risk, we can control and contain these outbreaks. The monkeypox virus is not new and has a very low fatality rate. The online scrabbles may cause greater anxiety than necessary.
In other news, read here about the shifting relationship we are having with reading the news.
