Florida experts caution against panic about monkeypox outbreak
Video above: Monkeypox Reaches Around 200 Cases WorldwideThe Florida Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating cases of monkeypox.The virus has popped up in several countries recently, something health experts say is unusual. In the U.S., the CDC has confirmed 65 cases, with five being in the state of Florida.More information: South Florida doctor weighs in on presumptive monkeypox casesThose cases are undergoing further testing to confirm they are monkeypox.Doctors are saying the outbreak isn’t something to panic over yet.However, they are encouraging people to be aware and do their research, so they know what monkeypox is and what to do if they come in contact with the virus. “I don’t think we should be very frantically concerned at this time,” said Dr. Moti Ramgopal, an infectious disease physician and consultant at HCA Florida Lawnwood and St. Lucie Hospitals.The virus, which is typically found in western and central Africa, has been popping up recently in places it typically doesn’t – like parts of Europe and the U.S.Explainer: What is monkeypox and where is it spreading? Ramgopal said the symptoms start out similar to the flu.“The earliest symptoms of monkeypox can be fever and this is usually followed by a rash a few days later something very similar, where we would have seen with shingles,” Rampgopal said.Other symptoms to look out for are head and muscle aches and swollen lymph nodes.For a list of symptoms, click here.It’s primarily spread through direct contact with skin lesions.“A less major route is respiratory droplets, so if someone has the lesions in their mouth, nose, or upper respiratory tract and they cough or spit and you’re within 3 feet of someone for an extended period of time … that can also be another form of exposure,” said Dr. Raj Panjabi, the special assistant to the president and White House senior director for Global Health Security and Biodefense.President Biden says monkeypox is not as concerning as COVID-19. Here’s what to know.Panjabi said the Biden administration is taking the outbreak very seriously and is working to secure a sufficient number of vaccines and treatment and providing guidance to health providers and officials.“If you have the symptoms of monkeypox, the most important thing you can do is contact your health care provider immediately so you can get the care and treatment that’s needed, you can get tested, and those you are around and may have been exposed can get vaccinated,” Panjabi said.The CDC said the monkeypox and smallpox viruses are related, so the tools the U.S. has to fight smallpox can be utilized for the monkeypox outbreak.Right now, they’re in the process of releasing the Jynneos vaccine, which is a two-dose smallpox vaccine, to high-risk close contacts of some of the early monkeypox patients. For a look at treatments, click here.
Video above: Monkeypox Reaches Around 200 Cases Worldwide
The Florida Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating cases of monkeypox.
The virus has popped up in several countries recently, something health experts say is unusual.
In the U.S., the CDC has confirmed 65 cases, with five being in the state of Florida.
More information: South Florida doctor weighs in on presumptive monkeypox cases
Those cases are undergoing further testing to confirm they are monkeypox.
Doctors are saying the outbreak isn’t something to panic over yet.
However, they are encouraging people to be aware and do their research, so they know what monkeypox is and what to do if they come in contact with the virus.
“I don’t think we should be very frantically concerned at this time,” said Dr. Moti Ramgopal, an infectious disease physician and consultant at HCA Florida Lawnwood and St. Lucie Hospitals.
The virus, which is typically found in western and central Africa, has been popping up recently in places it typically doesn’t – like parts of Europe and the U.S.
Explainer: What is monkeypox and where is it spreading?
Ramgopal said the symptoms start out similar to the flu.
“The earliest symptoms of monkeypox can be fever and this is usually followed by a rash a few days later something very similar, where we would have seen with shingles,” Rampgopal said.
Other symptoms to look out for are head and muscle aches and swollen lymph nodes.
For a list of symptoms, click here.
It’s primarily spread through direct contact with skin lesions.
“A less major route is respiratory droplets, so if someone has the lesions in their mouth, nose, or upper respiratory tract and they cough or spit and you’re within 3 feet of someone for an extended period of time … that can also be another form of exposure,” said Dr. Raj Panjabi, the special assistant to the president and White House senior director for Global Health Security and Biodefense.
President Biden says monkeypox is not as concerning as COVID-19. Here’s what to know.
Panjabi said the Biden administration is taking the outbreak very seriously and is working to secure a sufficient number of vaccines and treatment and providing guidance to health providers and officials.
“If you have the symptoms of monkeypox, the most important thing you can do is contact your health care provider immediately so you can get the care and treatment that’s needed, you can get tested, and those you are around and may have been exposed can get vaccinated,” Panjabi said.
The CDC said the monkeypox and smallpox viruses are related, so the tools the U.S. has to fight smallpox can be utilized for the monkeypox outbreak.
Right now, they’re in the process of releasing the Jynneos vaccine, which is a two-dose smallpox vaccine, to high-risk close contacts of some of the early monkeypox patients.
For a look at treatments, click here.
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