The Pan American Health Organization reports nearly 5,300 monkeypox cases in the Americas

Top Pan American Health Organization officials expressed growing concerns about the spread of monkeypox across the Americas on Wednesday, reporting nearly 5,300 cases across 18 countries and territories.

Most confirmed cases are in the United States, Canada and Brazil, said Mary Lou Valdez, PAHO’s deputy director, during a virtual press briefing on COVID-19 and other health issues in the Americas.

As of July 26, 4,281 confirmed monkeypox cases have been detected in North America, 979 in South America and 22 in the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean islands.

Valdez said that initial reports show there is a lot of confusion around the contagious illness.

“That’s why clear communication is more important than ever before,” she said.

Monkeypox, which was declared “a public health emergency of international concern” by the World Health Organization less than a week ago, is a “rare but potentially serious” viral disease that causes flu-like symptoms such as fever, muscle aches and fatigue. It can also cause a generalized rash on the face and body and swollen lymph nodes. The Infections usually last between two and four weeks.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people can contract monkeypox after contact with an infected animal, person or material contaminated with the virus.

Although monkeypox can kill up to 10% of people who contract the disease, no deaths have been reported in the region. And nearly all cases continue to be reported among men who have sex with men, between the ages of 25 and 45.

“We are also working with civil society and the LGBTQ-plus communities to alert at-risk groups about monkeypox symptoms and to provide information about how they can protect themselves,” Valdez said.

The health officials stressed that “anyone, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation, can get monkeypox.”

PAHO continues to issue guidance for health workers to manage monkeypox cases and prevent further infections. Thirty-two countries from the Americas are meeting in Brazil to determine the best approaches on surveillance, alert and response to pandemics, said Dr. Ciro Ugarte, PAHO’s director of health emergencies.

“One of the areas that they will discuss this Friday is specifically how we align our response on monkeypox on the detection, the diagnostic, the clinical management, vaccination and also of course, the public health measures that are clearly one of the best approaches that we will have to implement on this outbreak,” he said.

Vaccines to fight the spread of the virus already exist, such as Jynneos and ACAM2000. ACAM2000 was designed to prevent smallpox, but it can be used to prevent monkeypox because the viruses belong to the same family.

“Being healthy and safe from disease takes concerted action,” Valdez said. “We must use the tools at our disposal, vaccines, medicines and surveillance, to keep our populations healthy.”