As monkeypox spreads, Fauci says be vigilant but don’t panic

“You never call off an emerging infection if you don’t already know where it’s going,” he explained. “One pays attention to it. you follow him Then you respond appropriately.”

Monkeypox is “a public health emergency,” says the US Secretary of Health and Human Services

Monkeypox, a multi-country outbreak that has infected more than 7,500 people in the United States, is not a sexually transmitted disease but can be transmitted through close contact and has spread primarily in networks of men who have sex with men. However, Fauci warned that the virus can spread to other populations, including children.

In fact, at least five children in the United States have been infected with monkeypox in the past month — and more children may have been infected recently in Illinois.

Illinois health officials announced Friday that a person who works at a Champaign County daycare center has tested positive for the virus, potentially exposing between 40 and 50 others, many of them children. Julie Pryde, administrator of the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, texted the Washington Post Friday night that vaccines had been offered to several dozen children.

“Does that mean every parent in the country has to be afraid of this happening to their child? Of course not,” Fauci told WTOP News. “Don’t brush it off as something we don’t need to pay attention to. But don’t panic.”

What you should know about monkeypox symptoms, treatments and protections

Monkeypox is transmitted through close contact—usually skin contact—or through contact with bodily fluids, including respiratory secretions. However, according to the Centers for Disease, a person can also contract monkeypox by touching surfaces such as doorknobs, light switches, or tabletops, or by handling fabrics such as clothing, bedding, or towels that have been used by someone infected with the virus, both to control and prevention.

Symptoms include a rash, which can appear as bumps or blisters and can cause itching or pain, as well as fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and breathing problems such as a sore throat, stuffy nose, or cough, the CDC said.

Patients usually recover within two to four weeks.

Those who have symptoms should contact their doctor. Although there is no specific treatment, people considered at high risk for complications can be given antiviral drugs, the CDC says.

Health authorities recommend avoiding close contact with anyone experiencing symptoms and practicing good hygiene, such as hand washing and hand sanitizing. In addition, the CDC recommends that those who have had known exposure get vaccinated.

The data suggests the smallpox vaccine is about 85 percent effective against monkeypox, according to the CDC.

Although the smallpox vaccine was no longer available to the general public in the United States by the 1970s—years after the disease was eradicated in North America—a supply was kept in stock. A new vaccine, ACAM2000, replaced the old one in the mid-2000s. In 2019, Jynneos was approved for the prevention of smallpox and monkeypox in high-risk adults aged 18 and over. But supplies are limited.

The CDC recommends getting vaccinated within four days of exposure to prevent infection, but benefits may persist for up to 14 days. People in this situation should contact their doctor for advice.