CDC raises monkeypox alert

🦠🐒 The CDC ramped up its monkeypox alert to a Level 2 on Monday, encouraging people to “practice enhanced precautions” to stem the outbreak, which has now spread to 40+ countries.

• The agency initially recommended that international travelers wear face masks when visiting any of the countries where monkeypox has been detected, but later removed that guidance from their website.
• The CDC continues to recommend masks for people at high-risk of contracting monkeypox, including those who share a living space with infected persons, and healthcare workers or others who may be in close contact with confirmed cases.

📸 The big picture: Despite the raised alert level, the agency says the overall risk to the general public is “low”; the US has documented 31 cases across 12 states plus D.C., while globally there have been 1,000+ confirmed cases with zero deaths.

Monkeypox is thought to spread mainly through contact with the rash caused by the virus, which can happen directly via bodily contact or indirectly through infected materials.

• The WHO says most cases from the current outbreak have been detected in men who have sex with other men, though the virus itself isn’t an STI.