Confirmed monkeypox cases continue to increase across the U.S., including in Michigan.
As of July 15, Michigan had 13 confirmed cases of monkeypox, according to CDC data. The CDC does not track cases on the local level, so we’re not sure where every case was confirmed, but we do know there have been confirmed cases in Oakland County, Detroit and Kent County, according to Michigan’s health department.
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New York has nearly 500 confirmed cases, the most in the country, followed by California, Illinois, Florida, Washington D.C. and Georgia.
Monkeypox (MPV) is a disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. Monkeypox virus belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae. The Orthopoxvirus genus also includes variola virus (which causes smallpox), vaccinia virus (used in the smallpox vaccine), and cowpox virus. Monkeypox is not related to chickenpox.
The U.S. has seen increased demand for vaccines, and plans to ship more supply to states this week.
“All of our work right now is to prevent that from happening,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday.
Monkeypox is endemic in parts of Africa, where people have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals. It does not usually spread easily among people.
But this year more than 12,000 cases have been reported in countries that historically don’t see the disease. The infections emerged in men who had sex with men at gatherings in Europe, though health officials have stressed that anyone can catch the virus.
As of Friday, more than 1,800 U.S. cases had been reported, with hundreds of cases being added to the tally each day. Nearly all are men and the vast majority had same-sex encounters, according to the CDC.
More: University of Michigan expert: What you should know about monkeypox