CDC monitors 6 people in US for possible rare monkeypox, says public ‘should not
Currently, the CDC is monitoring six people in the United States for possible monkeypox infections after they sat near an infected traveler who had symptoms while on a flight from Nigeria to the United Kingdom in early May.
Separately, CDC officials also are investigating a case of monkeypox confirmed in a man in Massachusetts who had recently traveled to Canada. And the New York City Health Department is investigating a possible infection in a patient currently at Bellevue Hospital.
Meanwhile, recent monkeypox infections have been identified in several other regions around the world where the virus is not usually common, including Canada, Great Britain, Italy, Northern Ireland and Spain.
“At the same time, there really aren’t that many cases that are being reported — I think maybe a dozen, a couple dozen — so, the general public should not be concerned that they are at immediate risk for monkeypox,” she said. “We’re working through the investigations.”
Overall, “we have people who are being monitored for diseases all the time,” CDC spokesperson Christine Pearson wrote in an email, Thursday. That means that if someone might have been exposed to a pathogen, their health is monitored, and they should see physicians if they develop symptoms.
As for the six people currently being monitored for potential monkeypox, they all “are healthy, with no symptoms and are considered at low risk for monkeypox,” Pearson wrote, adding that none were seated next to the ill passenger and none had direct contact.
As the CDC’s investigation continues, discussions have started to include the topic of vaccines.
CDC ‘discussing and evaluating’ smallpox vaccine
CDC officials are evaluating whether smallpox vaccine should be offered to healthcare workers treating monkeypox patients and other people who may be at “high risk” for exposure to monkeypox, McQuiston said.
“It’s definitely something that we’re discussing and evaluating, whether offering smallpox vaccine makes sense in the current setting,” she said. “We’ll be closer to making recommendations for that in the next day or so.”
“We have vaccines that are stockpiled and available to be used, and if judged as a way to help manage this outbreak, we have the availability to use…
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