Four States Remain Without a Single Case, Highest Number of Cases in NY State
LYME/OLD LYME — The number of cases in the state has risen to 28 as of this morning, July 29, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data.
On July 26, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) Director of Health Stephen Mansfield confirmed to LymeLine.com by email that there are still no cases of monkeypox in the nine towns, which comprise the LLHD. These towns include both Lyme and Old Lyme.
The number of states with no cases remains at four:- Vermont, Montana, Wyoming and Alaska.
On Saturday, July 23, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. The decision was announced after the WHO convened its second emergency committee on the issue, July 21.
The CDC’s 2022 US Map & Case Count includes an ongoing, updated count of monkeypox cases throughout the country. There are 3,591 cases at time of publication of this article.
The states with the highest number of cases at time of publication (July 29) are New York (1,247), California (799), Illinois (396)), Florida (346), Georgia (330), Texas (315) and the District of Columbia (214).
Connecticut’s first case was announced on July 5.
“Monkeypox spreads through close prolonged contact with an infected person. This might include coming into contact with skin lesions, or body fluids, sharing clothes or other materials that have been used by an infected person, or inhaling respiratory droplets during prolonged face-to-face contact,” said Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD.
She added, “Residents who are concerned about fever, swollen glands, and a new rash, should contact their health care provider.”
Diagnostic testing for monkeypox is now available from commercial laboratories, including LabCorp, Mayo Clinic, and Quest, and providers can order testing from these laboratories as they would order other diagnostic tests. Testing is available through the State Public Health Laboratory, Monday-Friday.
Although anyone can get and spread monkeypox, the current cases are primarily spreading among social networks of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. For those who have multiple or anonymous sex partners, their likelihood of monkeypox exposure is high.
Due to the state’s current low case count, Connecticut has not received a substantial allotment of the monkeypox vaccine from the federal government at this time. More doses are expected in the coming weeks.
Vaccination may be recommended for those who:
“At the present time, our top priority is ensuring access to post-exposure prophylaxis and then expanding to a larger pool of at–risk persons when our vaccine supply allows us to do so,” explained Commissioner Juthani.
For those seeking treatment or additional information on the vaccine and antivirals, contact your health care provider or call the DPH Epidemiology Program at (860) 509-7994 or (860) 509-8000 after hours.
For more information about monkeypox, visit the CDC monkeypox webpage and/or the CT DPH monkeypox webpage.
Editor’s Note: Parts of this article are based on a press release issued July 14 by CT DPH and sent to LymeLine.com by Ledge Light Health District.