The CDC had confirmed 21 cases of monkeypox in 12 states as of June 3.
The first case in the nation was reported in Massachusetts May 18, and California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and Washington have reported cases since then.
All patients in the U.S. are in recovery or have recovered, CNN reported June 3. Those who still have a rash are being encouraged to isolate until they fully recover.
U.S. health officials provided an update on the U.S. cases during a June 3 call hosted by the CDC. They said some of the U.S. cases occurred in people who traveled internationally in the 21 days before symptom onset, which suggests they contracted the virus outside of the country.
Four more updates:
1. Physicians should watch for possible cases, health officials said. "There could be community-level transmission that is happening, and that's why we want to really increase our surveillance efforts," said Jennifer McQuiston, deputy director of the CDC's division of high consequence pathogens and pathology. "We want to really encourage physicians that if they see a rash, and they're concerned it might be monkeypox, to go ahead and test for that."
2. The U.S. has millions of vaccines that work against monkeypox and smallpox in the Strategic National Stockpile, CDC director Rochelle Walensky, MD, told CNBC. There are two vaccines that can be used against monkeypox: Jynneos, a two-dose regimen to prevent monkeypox in adults that was FDA approved in 2019, and ACAM2000, an older generation smallpox vaccine that can have serious side effects. The CDC generally recommends Jynneos over the latter.
3. The U.S. has distributed 1,200 monkeypox vaccines for people who've had high-risk exposures, health officials said during the June 3 call with reporters. "We want to ensure that people with high-risk exposures have rapid access to vaccines, and if they become sick, can receive appropriate treatment. To date, we've delivered around 1,200 vaccines and 100 treatment courses to eight jurisdictions, and we have more to offer states," said Raj Panjabi, MD, the White House's senior director for global health security and biodefense. "
4. Global monkeypox cases have risen to more than 550 in 30 countries, the World Health Organization said during a June 1 news conference. WHO officials have said the majority of the cases have been reported in men who have sex men with men, though anyone, regardless of sexual partners, can catch it through close physical contact. To learn more about how monkeypox is spread, click here.