>> 7 STATES ARE NOW INVESTIGATING MONKEYPOX INFECTIONS, FLORIDA,
CALIFORNIA, MASSACHUSETTS, NEW
YORK, UTAH, VIRGINIA, AND
WASHINGTON HAVE ALL REPORTED
CASES INTERNATIONALLY.
SCIENTISTS HAVE RECORDED MORE
THAN 350 CASES SINCE MAY 5TH.
NOW MOST ARE IN EUROPE. WELL,
JOINING ME NOW IS DOCTOR
CHARLOTTE. GOT TO GO AHAD THE
MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF INFECTIOUS
DISEASES AT BAPTIST HEALTH AND
FIRST OFF, THANK YOU FOR BEING
HERE. I KNOW THERE’S A LOT OF
QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS ABOUT
MONKEYPOX. THANK YOU FOR
HAVING ME. ABSOLUTELY. SO
LET’S JUST START WITH HOW DOES
MONKEY POX EVEN FORM? OKAY.
SURE.
>> LET ME START WITH WHAT
MONKEYPOX IS. MONKEYPOX IS A
RARE DISEASE AND IT STARTED IN
1958. IN MONKEYS. SO HENCE THE
NAME. AND WE FIRST SAW THE
KEYS KEY, SOME HUMAN IN 1970.
SO. MONKEY POX HAS
CHARACTERISTICS WE’LL TALK
ABOUT IT IN JUST A MOMENT. BUT
USUALLY IT STAYS LIMITED TO
ENDEMIC COUNTRIES WHICH IS
CENTRAL WEST AFRICA AND IF YOU
GET IT INTERNATIONALLY, IT’S
BECAUSE YOU’VE TRAVELED OR
YOU’VE HAD EXPOSURE TO OTHER
TRAVELERS OR TO ANIMALS WHO
HAVE HAD THE DISEASE PROCESS.
SO WHAT WE’RE SEEING NOW IS
THIS INTERNATIONAL SPREAD,
WHICH IS HIGHLY UNUSUAL. AND
THESE NUMBERS OVER 300,
THEY’RE VERY HIGH FOR US. SO
THAT’S A CONCERN. SO THAT’S
WHY WE’RE SEEING IT IN THE
NEWS. ALSO, TYPICALLY LOOK
WHAT I LIKE, WHAT I SAID. YOU
HAVE IT BECAUSE OF EXPOSURE TO
OTHER TRAVELERS OR TO ANIMALS.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE’RE
REALLY SEEING THIS COMMUNITY
SPREAD AND THEN THAT.
PRESENTATION THIS TIME HAS
BEEN A LITTLE BIT A TYPICAL
WHICH WILL GET TO WHICH MAKES
THIS CASE. WHAT ARE SOME OF
THE SIGNS OF MONKEYPOX? SURE.
SO MONKEYPOX HAS WE WHAT WE
CALL A PRO DRUM, WHICH IS
FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS. SO IT
STARTS WITH FEVERS AND
HEADACHES AND, YOU KNOW,
FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS, CHILLS.
BACKING. AND THEN IT GOES ON
IN ONE OR 3 DAYS TO FORM A
CHARACTERISTIC RASH. THE RASH
IS TYPICALLY ALL OVER THE
BODY. IT’S ROUND. IT CAN GO
THROUGH SEVERAL STAGES SO YOU
CAN SENATE BEFORE SCABS AND
FALLS OFF. IT CAN LOOK
SOMETHING LIKE WHAT WE CALL AN
BILIC AID, WHICH MEANS IT HAS
LITTLE NAVAL INSIDE OF IT. SO
IT’S THIS RASH AND PEOPLE STAY
INFECTIOUS FROM THE TIME THEY
HAVE THAT PROGRAM TO THE TIME
THE SCABS FALL OFF AND THE
SKIN IS CLEAR. SO WHAT WE’RE
SEEING IN THESE CASES ACTUALLY
IS THAT THE PROGRAM IS SMALL.
SO SOME AND MILD. SO SOMETIMES
PEOPLE DON’T EVEN KNOW THAT
THEY HAVE IT. AND THEN WHILE
THE RASHES CHARACTER A STAKE,
IT’S STARTING IN THE GENITAL
AND PERRY ALL AREAS. AND SO
PEOPLE ARE PRESENTING TO THEIR
PRIMARY CLINICS, OUTPATIENT
CLINICS AND TO SEXUALLY
TRANSMITTED DISEASE INFECTION
CLINICS WITH THIS. YOU KNOW,
WITH THESE RASHES, WHICH ARE
GETTING CONFUSED FOR SEXUALLY
TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS.
>> ALSO, LET’S TALK ABOUT ARE
THERE IS THERE ANY VACCINES
READILY AVAILABLE OR WILL SOON
BE READILY AVAILABLE?
>> SO THAT THERE IS THERE IS A
NATIONAL STOCKPILE THROUGH THE
CDC. AND SO THEY THESE WOULD
BE THE SAME TYPE OF VACCINES
THAT ARE. BUT WE’RE PREPARED
FOR SMALLPOX BECAUSE SMALLPOX
AND MONKEYPOX ARE COUSINS. AND
SO THERE ARE 2 AVAILABLE FOR
IF YOU HAD TO CLOSE EXPOSURE
TO SOMEONE BEFORE EVEN AFTER.
AND THERE ARE ALSO TARGETED
THERAPIES THERE. SOME
ANTIVIRAL THERAPY AND IMMUNE
GLOBULIN THERAPY. SO LET ME
JUST SAY MOST CASES ARE MILD
AND GET BETTER BECAUSE OF
SUPPORTIVE THERAPY. BUT WE
CERTAINLY HAVE THESE OPTIONS
OUT THERE.
>> AND OUTSIDE GETTING
VACCINATED, WHAT ARE SOME
THANKS TO PEOPLE CAN DO TO
STAY SAFE? SURE.
>> AVOIDING CONTACT WITH
PEOPLE WHO MIGHT HAVE BEEN
EXPOSED OR WHO ARE SICK IF
YOUR HEALTH CARE WORKER, YOU
SHOULD WEAR PROPER PROTECTIVE
QUITMAN WHEN YOU’RE AROUND
THESE SUSPECTED CASES, IF
YOU’RE JUST GOING AND YOU
SUSPECT SOMEONE MAY BE SICK,
YOU COULD STILL MASK UP. YOU
SHOULD. WE TELL EVERYONE
ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS. YOU
SHOULD AVOID EXPOSURE TO
ANIMALS WHO COULD BE SICK THE
MEAT THAT YOU EAT BE
THOROUGHLY COOKED. AND THEN
NOW BECAUSE OF THE UNIQUE
SITUATION HERE, YOU SHOULD. IF
YOU HAVE A NEW PARTNER,
PRACTICE SAFE PRACTICES AND
STAY VIGILANT. WOW. THAT IS.
>> IT’S JUST INSANE TO EVEN,
YOU KNOW, THINK ABOUT. BUT
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS
INSIGHTFUL INFORMATION. AND A
LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE CONCERNS
ABOUT THIS. SO THANK YOU
AGAIN. DOCTOR. CUT A HALF IN