Health experts believe monkeypox cases may have hit their highest point in some major cities of the United States with cases on the decline of late.
According to Dr. Gerardo Chowell, an infectious disease modeler at Georgia State University School of Public Health, the disease may be on the decline having hit its highest levels. “It’s very likely that the epidemic peaked as of last week,” he said.
New York City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan confirmed the declining cases in a tweet on Thursday saying: “We are cautiously optimistic about this data, but will be closely following to ensure it is a sustained trend.” The World Health Organization said on Thursday that after a month-long increasing trend, monkeypox cases had globally declined by 21%. Cases in the US, however, still seemed to be on the rise, the WHO said.
Although experts believe that monkeypox cases are declining due to increased awareness and prior immunity they warn that a decline does not necessarily translate into the disease being contained. The United States has reported nearly 17,000 cases of monkeypox since May.
Monkeypox is spread through close contact with an infected individual and causes pus-filled sores to appear on the body. The disease is rarely fatal.
Vaccine rollout has been slow due to low supplies of Jynneos which also cures smallpox. Increased awareness and immunity, however, appears to be helping.
