United States: As soon as the year 2024 starts, the total number of mpox cases will peak, surpassing the cases detected in 2023, which were already about two times the cases of 2023.
As per the 2024 mpox report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the accumulated cases of mpox have reached the number 582 only inside the US.
Number of mpox cases reported in previous years
As of 2023, 299 cases were registered for the same time. The latest statistics by the CDC indicated the majority of cases were reported in the Middle Atlantic region, in particular in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, a situation that was highlighted in the Hills article.
In 2022, the total surge in mpox cases reported could be seen spread the social network of men who have had sex with men. According to the Hills reports, a whopping 32,000 cases of mpox were reported that year, which included 58 deaths.
A spokesperson of the CDC gave an advisory note that “the first half of 2023 was an exceptionally low period for mpox case reporting.”
He added, “Reported mpox cases increased slightly in October of 2023 and have remained consistent since then. If you look at trends over the last six months, we’ve not seen a “recent” increase in U.S. case reports. For example, from October to December of 2023, there were 771 cases. From January 16 to March 16, 2024, there were 576 cases,” as the Hill reported.
Eventually, this outbreak diminished through communication and education. Though limited dosages of Jynneos posed a problem initially, and there were issues with the logistics of planning, emergency stockpiling came to the rescue.
Symptoms of mpox virus
Symptoms of the virus may take shape as flu-like and have a painful rash as characteristic to them. It propagates mainly through direct skin contact, but contaminated clothes and dirty sheets can be the likely delivery of the disease, too.
The public health emergency declaration related to the mpox outbreak was allowed to lapse in January this year. Cases of mpox never got even close to zero, though; instead, the virus kept being found and spreading in the US.
There was a fear that Chicago would be the site of mpox resurgence of cases during the summertime last year; however, it fortunately did not.
According to the Hills reports, the producer of Jynneos, Bavarian Nordic, made an announcement on Tuesday that its vaccine will now be available commercially across several states in the US.
The company’s statement said, “Through its existing nationwide vaccine distribution structure, Bavarian Nordic is now making the mpox vaccine commercially available across the nation. As of April 1, healthcare providers can order JYNNEOS through their preferred wholesaler and distribution partners to make it available for at-risk individuals at local pharmacies and physician offices in addition to public health clinics,” as the Hills reported.