Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
WHO Stresses A 'Unified' Global Monkeypox Strategy Needed
As global monkeypox cases top 2,500, the World Health Organization (WHO) posted a monkeypox update and removed the distinction between endemic and non-endemic nations to reflect a "unified response." (Wappes, 6/20)
Ever since monkeypox started sickening thousands of people worldwide this spring, two big questions have loomed: Why is a virus that has never managed to spread beyond a few cases outside Africa suddenly causing such a big, global outbreak? And why are the overwhelming majority of those affected men who have sex with men (MSM)? A long history of work on sexually transmitted infections and early studies of the current outbreak suggest the answers may be linked: The virus may have made its way into highly interconnected sexual networks within the MSM community, where it can spread in ways that it cannot in the general population. (Kupferschmidt, 6/20)
New Jersey has its first probable case of the monkeypox virus, according to the state Department of Health. The department announced Monday that a test confirmed the presence of orthopoxvirus in a person in northern New Jersey on Saturday. A further test to confirm the virus will be performed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (6/20)
Two more states announced their first probable cases of monkeypox Saturday. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said the suspected case developed in a Kansas City resident who had recently traveled out-of-state. The Indiana Department of Health also said it was investigating a probable monkeypox case, but would not release the location of the patient, who they said was in isolation. (Rose and Ellis, 6/19)
Two people in the region have tested positive for monkeypox, a viral disease with typically mild symptoms, public health officials with the City of Houston and Harris County announced Saturday. The Houston Health Department said a Houston resident who had recently traveled internationally had a confirmed case of monkeypox.Hours later, Harris County Public Health said an out-of-state resident who had visited Harris County recently also had a confirmed case. The out-of-state resident is already out of the region and back in their home state. (Webb, 6/18)
