Escalating Mpox Threat in the US: The NYC Issues Warning Amid Rising Infections 

Escalating Mpox Threat in the US: The NYC Issues Warning Amid Rising Infections. Credit | Freepik
Escalating Mpox Threat in the US: The NYC Issues Warning Amid Rising Infections. Credit | Freepik

United States: The threat related to Monkey pox, which is commonly known as mpox, has been increasing with every passing day. Recently, the local Department of Health and Mental Hygiene issued a warning related to the increasing threat of infection in the Big Apple.  

The authorities have outlined that the cases linked to the infection have been increasing since October 2023, and at the beginning of 2024, the cases were increased by around 51. The health officials have claimed that it is estimated that the city has been reporting around 36 cases in a month since October, as reported by the New York Post.  

It is to be noted that the city has saw an increase of 20 cases per month after October – as compared to the most of 2023, as mentioned by the health advisory.  

Escalating Mpox Threat in the US: The NYC Issues Warning Amid Rising Infections. Credit | Shutterstock
Escalating Mpox Threat in the US: The NYC Issues Warning Amid Rising Infections. Credit | Shutterstock

Among the 256 cases that have been reported from October to April 15, the majority exhibited mild symptoms, with only ten individuals necessitating hospitalization. The predominant demographic affected comprised individuals of Black or Hispanic descent, aged between 25 and 44, particularly men engaging in same-sex relations. 

Furthermore, 73% of those afflicted had not received vaccinations against mpox or had only undergone a single vaccination, the New York Post mentioned.  

Transmission of mpox generally occurs through intimate skin-to-skin contact and exchange of bodily fluids with carriers of the virus, as informed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As per the experts, the symptoms are generally seen in the form of a rash on the chest, face, feet, hand, and mouth, along with near the genital area.  

The experts have also claimed that the experts have found that that the virus can spread from animals to humans.  

Despite the escalation in incidents, the tally marks a reduction from the global epidemic in 2022, prompting the US to proclaim a public health crisis. 

During that pandemic, over 31,000 Americans received diagnoses of pox, resulting in 55 fatalities, as outlined by the New York Post.  

Although occurrences of the more lethal Clade I variant within the US remain absent, recent dissemination in the Democratic Republic of the Congo poses a potential threat through travel, as cautioned by municipal authorities. 

Globally, laboratory-confirmed cases of pox amounted to 95,226, with 185 fatalities, spanning from January 1, 2022, to March 31, as per a report released by the World Health Organization on April 30.