42 new cases of monkeypox diagnosed in Massachusetts in past week, DPH says – WCVB Boston

Massachusetts health officials say 42 new cases of monkeypox were identified in adult males in Massachusetts within the past week, according to the latest count from the Department of Public Health. The DPH said the total number of monkeypox cases in Massachusetts is now 157 since the first case in the United States was announced on May 18.The 42 cases announced in Thursday’s weekly update were diagnosed between July 28 and August 3 through testing at the State Public Health Laboratory in Jamaica Plain.The state health agency was working with local health officials, patients and health care providers to identify individuals who may have been in contact with the patients while they were infectious. Known monkeypox patients are instructed to isolate themselves from others until they are no longer infectious. State health officials say nearly 5,875 doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine have been administered. The vaccine is available to individuals at greatest risk of exposure to someone with monkeypox.The number of health care providers and locations offering vaccination across the state has expanded to 14 as federal allocation of the vaccine has been increased. The list of health care provider sites is available on the state’s monkeypox vaccine website. DPH officials provide public updates on monkeypox cases in Massachusetts on a weekly basis each Thursday.The federal government declared a public health emergency Thursday to bolster the response to the monkeypox outbreak.The announcement will free up money and other resources to fight the virus, which may cause fever, body aches, chills, fatigue and pimple-like bumps on many parts of the body.”This declaration also means that significant resources can now be placed at the federal and the state level to try to combat this outbreak,” said Dr. Rick Malley, an infectious disease specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital. “And in particular, this means more treatment, this means more vaccines, and this means much better coordination between federal, state and local departments of health.”Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows there have been 6,617 cases of the monkeypox virus this year in U.S. residents.There have been no deaths in the US or globally related to this outbreak and patients generally recover fully in two to four weeks.The DPH said while many of the early cases were associated with international travel, recent cases are not.”Gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men make up a large proportion of the cases identified to date,” the DPH said in a news release. “However, the risk is not limited to the LGBT community, and anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has monkeypox is at risk.”Early symptoms of monkeypox can include fever, headache, sore throat and swollen lymph nodes, but a rash may be the first symptom. Rash lesions start flat, become raised, fill with clear fluid (vesicles) and then become pustules (filled with pus). A person with monkeypox can have many lesions or they may only have a few.While the virus does not spread easily between people, people can spread the infection once they develop symptoms. Transmission occurs through direct contact with body fluids and monkeypox sores, by touching items that have been contaminated with fluids or sores (clothing, bedding, etc.), or less commonly, through respiratory droplets following prolonged face-to-face contact.Anyone who believes they may have monkeypox should isolate, but if they need to leave their home, they should wear a mask and cover their rash or lesions when around others.Those who live with or care for someone who may have monkeypox should wear a mask and disposable gloves if they need to have any direct contact with lesions and when handling any clothes or bedding if the person cannot do it themselves. They should also wash their hands regularly, especially after contact with the person who is infected or with their clothes, bed sheets, towels and other items or surfaces they have touched.