Monkeypox: Symptoms can be hard to recognize

The US health authorities warned, on Friday, that the currently detected cases of monkeypox do not necessarily show the usual symptoms that can lead to a difficult diagnosis, stressing that identifying these cases was crucial to limiting the spread of the disease.

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“We’ve seen mild cases of monkeypox, sometimes confined to certain parts of the body, which is different from what we typically see in countries with outbreaks” in Africa, Rochelle Wallinsky, director of the center, said Friday. Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC).

“This has raised concerns that some cases will go undetected,” she said, asking the public and healthcare professionals to exercise extra vigilance.

Existing cases do not always present with influenza-like symptoms (fever, etc.) that usually precede the appearance of the rash characteristic of this disease.

Also, while these rashes usually appear all over the body, many existing cases are limited to certain areas.

“It is important to realize that cases of monkeypox can resemble certain sexually transmitted diseases, such as herpes, and therefore can be misdiagnosed,” Walinsky said.

She added that the United States now has 45 registered cases, which is double compared to last week. No deaths have been reported.

As of June 9, she said, about 1,300 cases have been identified worldwide.

Transmission requires close and prolonged contact between two people.

The United States is counting in particular on vaccinating contact cases to stop the epidemic.

The country has 100 million doses of ACAM2000, but is in the process of acquiring doses of another, more modern vaccine, Jynneos.

At the end of May, the US had only 1,000 doses of this second treatment, compared with 72,000 today, Dawn O’Connell, of the US Department of Health, said Friday. She added that another 300,000 doses are expected to arrive in the coming weeks.