US reports four more suspected cases of monkeypox; CDC issues new travel advisory

Following the advent of the monkeypox threat around the globe, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a new monkeypox warning asd the nation is investigating four new suspected cases, according to Xinhua. As monkeypox spreads, the CDC is advising tourists to take extra precautions in order to limit the spread. Monkeypox is a disease that is caused by infection with the monkeypox virus, which has been discovered in 16 nations worldwide, including the United States.  

Recently, one confirmed case of monkeypox has been recorded in the US, in a man from Massachusetts who recently returned from Canada. Further, the suspected cases were reported from New York, Florida, as well as Utah. The four tested positive for orthopoxvirus, the virus family that includes monkeypox. 

It is to note that monkeypox cases have been reported in Europe, North America, and Australia, according to the CDC, which announced the Level 2 travel health warning on Friday. 

CDC's travel health notice 

As per the travel notice from CDC, travellers should avoid close contact with ill individuals, especially those with skin or genital sores, as well as contact with items used by sick individuals or animals, such as clothes, bedding, or medical supplies. Contact with tiny mammals, like rats or squirrels, or non-human primates like monkeys and apes, whether dead or alive, should be avoided, the CDC advisory said. 

Moreover, using or eating or cooking wild meat items made from wild animals from Africa should be prohibited. Travelers should also rinse their hands frequently with soap or use hand sanitizer, and must keep their hands away from their faces, according to the CDC. 

The travel notice also added that travelers must avoid close contact with other people if they acquire a fresh and unexplained rash, with or without symptoms and fever. The CDC also urged visitors to notify ahead before seeking medical help and, if they are unable to do so, they must inform personnel upon arrival that they are suspected of having monkeypox. 

Apart from this, a veterinarian and deputy head of the CDC's Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Dr. Jennifer McQuiston said, “It is likely that there are going to be additional cases reported in the United States," Xinhua reported. Multiple clusters of monkeypox were recorded in early to mid-May in several nations that do not regularly report monkeypox, which include Europe and North America, according to the CDC. 

WHO on monkeypox

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) claimed that monkeypox may be 'contained' in countries outside of Africa where the illness is rarely diagnosed. Over 100 cases of this virus, which causes a rash and a fever, have been reported in Europe, the Americas, and Australia. Despite the fact that the number is expected to rise, experts feel the overall risk to the general public is modest. 

(Image: AP)