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Monkeypox Cases Decline, But White House Warns Funding Needed

The White House says lawmakers should approve a multibillion-dollar request to combat the ongoing crisis, even as case rates decline. NPR explains the odds of catching monkeypox, Dallas Morning News covers a case at a high school in Fort Worth, among other news on the virus.

Monkeypox cases are declining in many areas of the country, but the Biden administration is warning that the virus still poses a danger and pushing for lawmakers to approve its multibillion-dollar funding request to combat it. More than 23,000 infections have been confirmed in the U.S. during the outbreak, but the growth has slowed. Cases have dropped about 50 percent in the past month, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from an average of 440 cases a day on Aug. 16 to 170 cases a day on Sept. 14. (Weixel, 9/18)

More on the spread of monkeypox —

The concerns about catching monkeypox come at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is still in force, with over 300,000 cases reported daily across the globe and over 10,000 deaths per week. So how can people get a clear idea of what their chances are of contracting monkeypox? (Barnhart and Doucleff, 9/16)

A case of the monkeypox virus has been confirmed at a high school in Fort Worth ISD, the district announced Friday. The case involves someone at Arlington Heights High School, but it’s unclear whether the person infected is a student or an employee. The district said it began sanitizing the school immediately to help curb the spread of the virus, and encouraged parents to monitor their children for 21 days to see if they develop symptoms. (Landers, 9/16)

The child, a resident of western Riverside County, is recovering at home and didn’t require hospitalization, health officials said. The public health department is trying to determine how the child became infected with MPX, also known as monkeypox. (Lin II, 9/16)

In a report today of 313 healthcare workers (HCWs) exposed to monkeypox in Colorado, none of them contracted the virus, despite few wearing the recommended personal protective equipment (PPE) or receiving postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) vaccination. (Soucheray, 9/16)

The Chinese city of Chongqing reported one case of the monkeypox virus infection on Friday in an individual who arrived from abroad, marking mainland China's first known monkeypox infection amid the recent global outbreak of the virus. (9/16)

A top Chinese health official warned people against having skin-to-skin contact with foreigners to avoid contracting monkeypox, spurring a backlash among the country’s dwindling expatriate community. (9/19)

On monkeypox treatments —

Raynard Washington, the Mecklenburg County health director, takes umbrage when he hears people say the monkeypox vaccine clinic staged at the Charlotte Pride celebration last month fell short of expectations. (Blythe, 9/19)

Although the scabs are a sign that the painful infection is about to be cleared, there is a possibility that some patients will still have redness or discoloration afterward that will fade with time, said Dr. Mary Stevenson, an assistant professor of dermatology at N.Y.U. Langone Health. In some cases, people may also be left with permanent scars. (Sheikh, 9/19)

This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.