In light of early indications that cases are declining both domestically and internationally, Rochelle Walensky, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stated on Friday that she is “cautiously optimistic” regarding the trajectory of the monkeypox outbreak.
Walensky indicated during a news conference that various regions, particularly New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, had started to report a decline in the monkeypox outbreak.
It is uncertain how much the immunization campaigns may be blamed for reducing incidence because the bulk of monkeypox immunizations recorded in the U.S. are first doses.
Demetre Daskalakis, the deputy coordinator for the White House’s national monkeypox response, pointed out that recent data from the American Men’s Internet Survey (AMIS) revealed that “men who have sex with men have reported altering their sexual behaviors” in response to monkeypox, likely assisting in reducing transmission.
Speaking on the AMIS statistics, Daskalakis claimed that it showed “LGBTQIA+ individuals are genuinely lowering their risk and it’s working.”
Although certain areas appear to be seeing a decline in instances, Walensky emphasized that this is not the situation nationwide. The CDC has identified about 17,000 cases.
The number of weekly confirmed incidents of monkeypox has decreased by 20%, according to information released by the World Health Organization earlier this week. The group ascribed the decline in Europe to a mix of lifestyle modifications, immunizations, and public health initiatives.
The U.S. is getting close to the point where it will soon be able to distribute “two doses to everyone in the at-risk communities,” according to the White House on Friday. As of now, around 1.1 million vials of vaccine to cure monkeypox have been made publicly accessible.
Currently, intradermal injections are used in around 75% of countries, and 20% are headed in this direction.
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