Mississippi confirms more monkeypox cases. What to know

Mona Moore
·3 min read

In a matter of two weeks, Mississippi’s confirmed cases of monkeypox have jumped from one case to eight cases.

The increase mirrors what we are seeing across the country. Just two weeks ago, the U.S. had 3,591 confirmed cases and four states — Alaska, Montana, Wyoming and Vermont — had no confirmed cases.

As of Aug. 9, the country had 9,493 confirmed cases and every state has reported at least one case. There have been no reported monkeypox deaths, according to the Center for Disease Control. The outbreak’s first confirmed case was reported May 17.

The CDC has responded to previous monkeypox outbreaks. A 2003 outbreak involved 47 cases in six states. People from Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin were infected by pet prairie dogs that were housed near small animals from Ghana when they were imported into the country.

In July 2021, Texas had a person contract monkeypox after traveling from Nigeria to the U.S. More than 200 people the person came into contact with were notified and asked to monitor their health, but no other cases were confirmed.

“Monkeypox is not a new or unknown disease,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC. “CDC has been preparing for monkeypox for decades and we have the resources we need to respond right now.”

Despite the increase in confirmed cases, officials at the CDC say chances of catching and spreading the disease are not as high as contracting and spreading COVID.

“The overall risk to the U.S. public is low,” said Dr. Demetre Daskalakis of the CDC. “Monkeypox is a much more difficult disease to transmit than others, such as COVID-19, and requires close physical contact to spread. Monkeypox is not something you will pick up walking by someone in the grocery store.”

How it spreads

Monkeypox can spread in a few ways.

  • Through skin-to-skin contact with

  • Through direct physical contact during intercourse

  • From a pregnant person to their fetus

  • From infected animals through bites and scratches or by meat from an infected animal

An infected person can spread monkeypox from the first symptom to a fully healed rash, two to four weeks later.

Early symptoms of monkeypox are usually flu-like:

  • Fever

  • Headache

  • Muscle aches and backache

  • Swollen lymph nodes

  • Chills

  • Exhaustion

Other symptoms usually develop a few days later:

  • A rash or sores, sometimes located on or near the genitals or anus, but sometimes in other areas such as the hands, feet, chest or face. These sores will go through several stages before healing.

  • Sores may be inside the body, including the mouth, vagina, or anus.

Note: Some people experience a rash or sores first, followed by other symptoms and some only experience a rash or sores.

Who qualifies for a vaccine?

Anyone who has

  • Been exposed to someone with a confirmed case.

  • Been exposed to someone who has a rash resembling ones associated with monkeypox. The rashes can resemble acne, blisters, bug bites, herpes or syphilis and appear anywhere on the body.

  • Traveled to a country with confirmed cases or where monkeypox is endemic

  • Had close or intimate in-person contact with someone who meets sexual partners online, in apps, at bars or at parties.

  • Had contact with a dead or live wild animal or exotic pet native to Africa

  • Used a product derived from an animal native to Africa (e.g., game meat, creams, lotions, powders, etc.)