(NewsNation) — Infectious disease experts across the globe are sounding the alarm about monkeypox as cases across Europe have tripled in the past two weeks.
There is now concern that the U.S. isn’t responding quickly enough to the outbreak. And though it’s limited right now, monkeypox could spread to a level that’s uncontrollable if we don’t stop the spread early.
Limited testing and a slow rollout of vaccines are causing concern among public health advocates and infectious disease experts, similar to issues the global health community faced with COVID-19.
According to Dr. Ashish Jha, the White house coronavirus response coordinator, there are a few key differences that work in our favor.
One is that monkeypox isn’t a novel virus. We have known about it and how it spreads. There are also vaccines and testing already established that are effective in combatting it. It’s also not nearly as contagious as COVID-19.
The mortality rate, however, is significantly worse. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says anywhere from 3% to 6% of those who contract it will die.
So far in the U.S., there’ve been about 460 confirmed cases — mostly in populous states.
U.S. cases by state:
- California: 95
- New York: 90
- Illinois: 53
- Florid: 51
Globally, there have been close to 6,000 cases confirmed, mostly in Europe, with more than 1,000 cases in both Germany and the UK.
In response, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has said all health care providers in the U.S. who see patients with rashes should also do a test for monkeypox.