A group of scientists proposes abandoning the geographic reference in favor of numbers, as less discriminatory. Other news related to the monkeypox outbreak reports on more cases, educational efforts, diagnosis difficulties, and more.
Stat: ‘Discriminatory And Stigmatizing’: Scientists Push To Rename Monkeypox Viruses
A group of scientists from Africa and elsewhere are urging the scientific community and world health leaders to drop the stigmatizing language used to differentiate monkeypox viruses, and are even advocating renaming the virus itself. In a position paper published online on Friday, the group proposed abandoning the existing names for monkeypox virus clades — West Africa and Congo Basin — and replacing them with numbers, saying the current names are discriminatory. (Branswell, 6/11)
The Washington Post: Monkeypox Dilemma: How To Warn Gay Men About Risk Without Fueling Hate
Monkeypox had arrived in Salt Lake County, with two men testing positive after returning from Europe, the epicenter of a global outbreak concentrated in gay and bisexual men. Officials there faced a dilemma. They wanted to warn men who have sex with men that they were at higher risk for exposure to the virus. But they feared unintended consequences: heterosexual people assuming they’re not susceptible, closeted men in a heavily Mormon community avoiding care so they’re not seen as gay, and critics exploiting the infections to sow bigotry. (Nirappil, 6/12)
And more on the spread of monkeypox —
The Boston Globe: Two More Massachusetts Men Test Positive For Monkeypox Virus
Two more Massachusetts men have tested positive for the monkeypox virus, nearly a month after the state’s first case of the virus was reported amid an international outbreak, the Department of Public Health said Sunday. The tests came back positive on Saturday. The two men had contact with each other, but not with the initial case, and are isolating, the department said in a statement. The Boston Public Health Commission will lead contact tracing efforts. (Thompson, 6/12)
AP: 3rd Illinois Monkeypox Case Identified In DuPage County
Public health officials have identified a third case of monkeypox a week after the first two cases appeared in Illinois. WLS-TV reports that a man in DuPage County tested positive for monkeypox after traveling internationally. The adult male was in a country that has reported an outbreak, according to the DuPage County Health Department. (6/11)
CIDRAP: CDC Director: Monkeypox May Be Tricky To Diagnose
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, said clinicians should not rule out a monkeypox diagnosis if a patient presents with a sexually transmitted infection (STI). … Walensky said some of the 45 confirmed patients in the United States were also diagnosed as having herpes, gonorrhea, or chlamydia at the same time as the monkeypox diagnosis. The CDC also said that, among those 45, at least 75% had traveled internationally before contracting the disease. (Soucheray, 6/10)
CNN: The Ah-Ha Moment When Doctors Realized First US Patient In Global Outbreak Had Monkeypox
When Dr. Nesli Basgoz met her patient for the first time in May, he had been admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital with symptoms that were quite common for many infectious diseases — fever, rash, fatigue, sweats. Basgoz and her colleagues at the hospital tested the patient for chickenpox. He was negative. They tested him for syphilis. He was negative. The doctors still treated him with antibiotics and antivirals that are used for common infections while they waited for his various test results — but his condition did not improve in response to those treatments. (Howard, 6/10)
Modern Healthcare: Providers Prepare For Monkeypox, Discuss Infection Control Practices
Infectious disease experts and health systems across the country are ensuring facilities are well-equipped and prepared to deal with potential monkeypox cases and prevent further outbreaks. There have been 45 confirmed cases of monkeypox in the U.S. this year and more than 1,300 cases worldwide, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. government is waiting on the delivery of 300,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine Jynneos, and has ordered another 500,000 doses to be delivered later this year, the Associated Press reported Friday. (Devereaux, 6/10)
In global updates —
AP: British Scientists Say It’s Unclear If Monkeypox Has Peaked
British health officials said they cannot tell if the spread of monkeypox has peaked in the country as they announced another 45 cases Friday, bringing the total in the disease’s biggest-ever outbreak beyond Africa to 366 cases. Britain’s Health Security Agency said 99% of the total cases were in men and that nearly all of the 152 men who provided detailed information identified as gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men. About 80% of cases were in London, and the median age of the people infected was 38, the agency said. (Cheng, 6/10)
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