Health
The state has seen 21 confirmed cases since the first was announced on May 18th.
Samples of suspicious smallpox from the monkey are observed inside a refrigerator in Spain. Pablo Blazquez Domínguez / Getty Images Europe
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) reported eight new cases of smallpox on Thursday. All cases are in adult men and occurred during the past week. This brings the total number of cases registered in the state to 21. The first case was announced on May 18th.
Public updates on the spread of monkeypox in Massachusetts are being published weekly, every Thursday. The eight people with new cases were diagnosed between June 23 and 29, according to the DPH. Currently, all eight people are isolating themselves to prevent the virus from spreading further.
In all, 351 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed this year in U.S. residents, according to the CDC. Patients usually recover within two to four weeks and there have been no deaths related to the current outbreak, according to the DPH.
The first cases in Massachusetts and other parts of the country were associated with international travel, but recent cases have not. Although men who have sex with men account for a “large proportion” of the cases identified so far, the risk posed by this virus is not limited to the LGBTQ community.
Anyone who has had close contact with another person carrying the virus could be at risk, although the DPH said it is not easily spread among people.
Transmission usually occurs through direct contact with body fluids and sores or by touching items such as clothing and bedding that have been contaminated with the virus. It can also be transmitted through respiratory droplets, but this happens less frequently and requires prolonged face-to-face contact. The location of rashes and lesions in many recent cases suggests transmission during sexual contact. The monkey’s smallpox does not spread through brief, casual conversations or by touching items like door knobs, the DPH said.
Early symptoms of the virus include rash, fever, headache, sore throat and swollen lymph nodes. Monkeypox eruptions develop lesions that start flat but rise and fill with fluid.
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