Recent genetic analysis of monkeypox cases in the United States revealed that two distinct strains of the virus are circulating. Health officials fear it has been spreading undetected for some time.
Many of the cases tested showed they were part of the same strain as the recent European cases, but a few samples showed a different strain. Both cases were seen in the US last year before the recent international outbreak was discovered.
Jennifer McQuiston of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more testing is needed to determine how long monkeypox has been spreading in the US. And the analysis will need to come from many more patients.
“I think it’s certainly possible that there could have been monkeypox cases in the United States that went under the radar previously but not to any great degree,” she said earlier this month.
The new data means the outbreak will likely be difficult to bring under control. It’s unclear how long infections have been happening, where they have occurred, and some infections may have been misdiagnosed.
Two new cases were confirmed by Massachusetts public health officials on Sunday. According to the CDC website, there have been 49 confirmed cases in the United States this year.
According to the CDC, symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, rashes, and rash lesions. Rash lesions may present as a single lesion or many lesions. Patient’s typically recover in two to four weeks.
So far, there have been no monkeypox-related deaths in the US.
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