What is monkeypox and what are its symptoms?
2:45
(CNN) --
Anyone can get or spread monkeypox, but a "remarkable fraction of cases" in the latest global outbreak are occurring among gay and bisexual men, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. USA, CDC.
"Some groups may have a higher chance of exposure right now, but the current risk of exposure to monkeypox is by no means exclusive to the gay and bisexual community in the US," said Dr. John Brooks, medical director of the CDC's Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention.
"Anyone, anyone, can develop [and] spread monkeypox infection, but ... many of those affected in the current global outbreak identified as gay and bisexual men."
There is one confirmed case of monkeypox and four suspected cases in the United States, the CDC said Monday.
The confirmed case is in a man in Massachusetts, and the four orthopox virus cases are in men in New York, Florida and Utah.
Orthopox refers to smallpox viruses in general.
"Additional cases are likely to be reported in the United States," said Dr. Jennifer McQuiston, a veterinarian and deputy director of the CDC's Division of Pathology and High Consequence Pathogens.
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Brooks said the CDC decided to hold a news conference on the outbreak now because LGBTQ Pride month typically begins around Memorial Day weekend, and officials wanted to make sure the community was aware of the situation.
He also urged doctors to be vigilant about the disease, because it can mimic other types of sexually transmitted diseases, STDs.
"In some cases, during the early stages of the disease, the rash has been primarily in the genital and perianal area," Brooks said.
“In some cases it has produced anal or genital lesions that resemble other diseases such as herpes or chicken pox or syphilis.
"What we're trying to do by drawing attention to the fact that some of these cases have had a genital lesion and perianal presentation is just to remind people that people can come in for an evaluation of what they think is an STD, but we'd like the provider to think 'could it also be monkeypox?'
if the circumstances fit the story," Brooks added.
What is the difference between monkeypox and normal smallpox?
Are they just as deadly?
Monkeypox, what do we know and how to detect the symptoms?
4:11
Monkeypox is not an STD
Monkeypox is an extremely rare viral disease that is similar to smallpox but is considered less serious clinically, according to the World Health Organization.
Cases generally occur in West and Central Africa.
Several people have recently been diagnosed with monkeypox in areas that don't normally see the disease, including Canada, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease, but it can be spread through intimate contact during sex when someone has an active rash.
It can also be spread through large respiratory droplets, but because large droplets don't travel very far in the air, contact must be prolonged for this to happen.
Monkeypox can be spread through direct contact with bodily fluids or through contact with contaminated clothing or sheets, according to the CDC.
"Anyone can spread monkeypox [by] contact with bodily fluids or monkeypox sores or breathing in water droplets when around someone," Brooks said.
Monkey pox (monkeypox): in which countries have cases been detected?
symptoms and infections
The virus typically incubates seven to 14 days before symptoms appear, according to the CDC.
Initial symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, headache, fever, muscle aches, and fatigue.
The disease then progresses to a rash and lesions that blister and crust over.
This can occur throughout the body.
The illness usually lasts two to four weeks.
A person can be contagious from one day before the rash appears to 21 days after symptoms begin.
Once the scabs fall off, the person is no longer contagious, the CDC says.
The risk to the general public from this outbreak is low, according to the CDC.
"I don't think there's a huge risk to the general community from monkeypox right now in the United States. I think we need to pay close attention to the communities where this might be circulating so we can effectively communicate with them." and help control this outbreak," McQuiston said.
Monkeypox does not seem to be spreading so quickly that parties or events need to be canceled to stop the spread.
"This is not covid," McQuiston said.
"Respiratory spread is not the predominant concern. It's contact, and intimate contact, in the setting and population of the current outbreak. And that's really what we want to emphasize."
Monkeypox: the virus emerges from African monkeys or rodents
12 countries confirm cases of monkeypox 0:52
They ask not to stigmatize the LGBT community
It is also important that this outbreak does not stigmatize the LGBTQ community, according to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, which has warned that some reports and commentary on monkeypox have used language and images that reinforce stereotypes and exacerbate the stigma
"Experience shows that stigmatizing rhetoric can quickly defuse the evidence-based response by fueling cycles of fear, driving people away from health services, hampering efforts to identify cases, and encouraging ineffective punitive measures. We are grateful to the LGBTI community for have led the way in raising awareness, and we reiterate that this disease can affect anyone," UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Matthew Kavanagh said in a statement Monday.
The WHO also warned people not to use the disease as a way to negatively label a particular community.
"There's a lot of stigma and discrimination around a lot of diseases, and I think the biggest thing we need to keep in mind is, as WHO, to work with our partners in communities and elsewhere to make sure the message is right. So, While we are seeing some cases among men who have sex with men, this is not a gay disease," WHO adviser Andy Seale said on Monday.
Canada records suspected cases of monkeypox in gay men
Treatment for monkeypox
There is no safe, proven treatment for monkeypox, but the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a vaccine made by a Danish company called Bavarian Nordic.
The United States signed a new contract with the company and placed an order for US$119 million, with the option to buy an additional US$180 million if necessary.
Because the monkeypox virus is closely related to the smallpox virus, the smallpox vaccine can protect against monkeypox, according to the CDC.
The Strategic National Stockpile has enough smallpox vaccine to protect everyone in the US, according to the CDC.
The US is in the process of responding to a request to release the Bavarian Nordic Jynneos monkeypox vaccine from the reserve.
The CDC recommends that anyone with a new or unexplained rash get checked out by a medical professional.
Infected people should remain isolated at home, away from people and pets, wear a surgical mask, and cover their injuries as much as possible until they have healed.
They should avoid close contact with children, pregnant people, and those with weakened immune systems because these groups are at higher risk of complications if they contract the virus.
-- CNN's Virginia Langmaid, Claudia Dominguez and Jacqueline Howard contributed to this report.
monkey pox