Monkeypox

I was a college student at University of Texas in the mid-90s, when the book The Hot Zone by Richard Preston was released.

As monkeypox case counts continue to expand globally, a series of potentially new clinical symptoms have begun to emerge, a development that may bring gastroenterologists to the forefront of care for this evolving outbreak.

The NIH this month began enrolling participants in a clinical trial to investigate the efficacy of fractional doses of monkeypox vaccine, and another trial evaluating the antiviral tecovirimat in adults and children with monkeypox.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul recently announced a state disaster emergency due to poliovirus detected in the wastewater samples of several counties in the state, as well as New York City.

The American Society of Transplantation has released guidance on preventive measures and treatment of monkeypox for individuals with an organ transplant, along with guidance for accepting donated organs from individuals with the virus.

The CDC on Thursday launched a monkeypox vaccine equity pilot program to reach more of the populations that are most at risk for infection.

Last week, the FDA authorized bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccines for emergency use in the United States.

Between rapidly increasing case counts and a flood of misinformation reported online and in media, the facts surrounding the current monkeypox outbreak around the world and in the United States might indicate some cause for alarm.

Texas officials announced the first death of someone in the United States with monkeypox, though officials have not determined whether the disease was the person’s cause of death.

Monkeypox has recently been declared a public health emergency of international concern by the WHO, and more than 15,000 cases have been reported in the United States during the ongoing outbreak.