By KENNEDY GRIFFIN
(Boston, MA) In the past week there have been eighteen new cases of confirmed monkeypox in Massachusetts men as of Thursday. This brings Massachusetts’ total case count to 49 since May 18th. Massachusetts is in the top ten highest monkeypox case counts in the country along with New York, California, Illinois, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., and Maryland.
The Department of Public Health (DPH) is working to trace any contacts the patients may have had while they were contagious. Once diagnosed, patients with monkeypox are told to isolate and avoid contact with others until they are not infectious.
On July 5th the DPH received an initial shipment of 2,004 JYNNEOS vaccines for monkeypox, which were distributed to the four healthcare providers with the highest rates of exposure, or potential exposure, in their patients. While the availability of this vaccine is limited, the federal allocation of the vaccine is expanding.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health releases new updates on the current status of monkeypox in the state, including case numbers. Visit the DPH website, the monkeypox vaccine website, and the CDC monkeypox case count website for more information.