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Health officials confirm 41 new monkeypox cases in Massachusetts

By Alexander Newman, Boston 25 News Staff
This digitally-colorized electron microscopic (EM) image depicted monkeypox virus particles, obtained from a clinical sample associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. It was a thin section image from of a human skin sample. On the left were mature, oval-shaped virus particles, and on the right were the crescents, and spherical particles of immature virions.

Monkeypox (Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regnery, Hannah Bullock /CDC)

By Alexander Newman, Boston 25 News Staff

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced 41 new cases of monkeypox over the past week, bringing the state’s total to 243 cases since May 18.

The latest cases were diagnosed between Aug. 11 and Aug. 17. DPH is working to identify people who may have been in contact with the patients while they were infectious.

Individuals with monkeypox are asked to isolate until they are no longer infectious.

There are currently 14 health care providers offering vaccination across the state. The list is updated on a rolling basis on the state’s monkeypox vaccine website.

As of Aug. 17, 12,205 doses of the vaccine have been given in Massachusetts.

Due to the limited availability of the vaccine, it is being prioritized for people at the greatest risk of exposure to someone with monkeypox. Vaccination is available to people who meet the CDC’s criteria and who live or work in Massachusetts.

Last month, the global monkeypox outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization. The Biden administration declared it a national health emergency on Aug. 4.

Health officials say men who engage in sexual activity with other men continue to make up a signification proportion of the cases identified; however, anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has the virus is at risk.

Monkeypox can spread through:

  • Direct skin-to-skin contact with rash lesions. Sexual/intimate contact, including kissing while a person is infected.
  • Living in a house and sharing a bed with someone. Sharing towels or unwashed clothing.
  • Respiratory secretions through face-to-face interactions (the type that mainly happen when living with someone or caring for someone who has monkeypox)

Monkeypox does not spread through:

  • Casual conversations. Walking by someone with monkeypox in a grocery store, for instance. Touching items like doorknobs.

Actions for people to consider if they want to reduce their risk from monkeypox include:

  • Avoiding large gatherings like raves and dance parties where you may have lots of close body contact with others
  • Asking any partner, especially new partners whose health status and recent travel history you are not familiar with, if they have any symptoms of monkeypox
  • Staying informed by reading information available on the DPH and CDC websites

Current testing recommendations and submission guidelines are available on the website https://www.mass.gov/doc/clinical-and-laboratory-testing-guidance-for-monkeypox/download.

For more information about the virus, visit www.mass.gov/monkeypox and www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox.

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