CDC Warns of New Mpox Cases, Potential New Outbreak This Summer: ‘It’s Not Over’
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, can surge again this summer, the CDC says.
More than 30,000 people in the U.S. have gotten the virus since the outbreak began last summer.
Experts recommend getting vaccinated if you’re considered high risk.
Last summer, people watched closely as cases of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) jumped across the country. But public health officials acted quickly, encouraging high-risk people to get vaccinated against the disease, and cases of mpox started falling in August 2022. Now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a warning: Mpox could come back again this summer.
“The outbreak is not over,” the CDC warns in a health alert issued Monday. “Spring and summer season in 2023 could lead to a resurgence of mpox as people gather for festivals and other events.” The alert then urges healthcare providers to be on the lookout for new cases or outbreaks of the disease.
There was low-level panic surrounding the mpox outbreak the last time around, and it’s understandable to have questions after hearing this warning. Here’s what you need to know about mpox, plus what we’ve learned since last summer.
Why is the CDC issuing this warning?
It’s seemingly tied to an outbreak of mpox cases that recently happened in and around Chicago. The CDC notes that the agency is investigating a cluster of 13 mpox cases in the Chicago area, pointing out that nine of the 13 cases were in men who had received two doses of the Jynneos mpox vaccine.
“The CDC continues to receive reports of cases that reflect ongoing community transmission in the United States and internationally,” the alert says.
“The warning is prudent given the cluster of cases that has been discovered in Chicago,” says infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “Only 25% or so of the at-risk population has been fully vaccinated against mpox, so there are still susceptible people that can be infected.” The vaccine, he points out, is also not 100% effective at preventing infections.
“The concern is reasonable,” says Thomas Russo, M.D., an infectious disease expert at the University of Buffalo in New York. “People need to be cognizant that mpox is still circulating at low levels.”
What is mpox, or monkeypox?
It’s been a minute since mpox was in the news and it’s understandable to need a refresher. Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) is a rare disease caused by infection with the mpox virus, the CDC explains. It causes symptoms that are similar to smallpox, including a rash that goes through several stages, fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, muscle and backaches, headache, and respiratory symptoms.
Mpox usually spreads through close, personal contact, which can include having direct contact with the mpox rash and scabs from a person with mpox, as well as contact with their saliva, upper respiratory secretions, and areas around the anus, rectum, or vagina, usually during sex, per the CDC. There is also a risk of getting mpox from touching objects, fabrics, and surfaces used by someone who has mpox that weren’t disinfected afterward, the CDC says, but it’s low.
What’s happened since the mpox outbreak started last summer?
The mpox outbreak came on hard and fast, with the CDC issuing health warnings and the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring mpox a “public health emergency of international concern.” Since it started, there have been 30,395 cases of mpox reported in the U.S. and 42 people have died from the disease, according to CDC data.
In the beginning of the outbreak, there were fears that mpox could be spread from touching objects that someone with the disease came into contact with, like grocery carts. People were also worried about going to summer concerts, where they could be in close contact with others. But doctors say those fears have been largely unfounded.
“Even we epidemiologists weren’t entirely sure how much the inanimate environment would contribute to transmission,” says William Schaffner, M.D., infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville. “But there were very few people outside of the [men who have sex with men] community who acquired the infection.” Getting mpox from things like unwashed sheets and countertops (aka “fomites”) “appeared to not be as much of an issue,” Dr. Schaffner says.
Doctors have learned that having untreated HIV is a factor in developing severe mpox, too, Dr. Adalja says. “We’ve also learned the value of the antiviral,” he adds.
How to protect yourself against mpox
There is an mpox vaccine—called Jynneos—and it’s still available (more on Jynneos vaccine side effects here). “If someone is in a high-risk group, they should get fully vaccinated,” Dr. Adalja says. “If someone is only partially vaccinated, they should get their second dose.” (High risk groups, according to the CDC, include people who are gay, bisexual, or a man who has sex with men or a transgender, nonbinary, or gender-diverse person who in the past six months has had a diagnosis of one or more sexually transmitted diseases. People with HIV, those who have had a suspected exposure to mpox, and those who work in settings where they may be exposed to the virus should also get vaccinated, the CDC says.
If you’re in the men who have sex with men community or are intimate with a man who has sex with men, Dr. Schaffner recommends being cautious about who you have intimate contact with. That means avoiding close contact with someone with symptoms of the virus and steering clear of people who recently had a known exposure to the disease.
It also doesn’t hurt for everyone to take extra precautions if mpox cases increase in your area, like not sharing unwashed beach towels, Dr. Russo says. “While skin-to-skin contact is more concerning, there is a small risk of a fomite,” he says. And, if you happen to develop symptoms of mpox or have a known exposure, talk to your doctor. There are treatments for mpox available, but it's important to be diagnosed and treated sooner rather than later.
Dr. Schaffner urges people to at least be aware that mpox is a possibility. “We can’t think that mpox is completely behind us,” he says. “It’s still out there and could surge again this summer.”
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