Olde Hornet
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‘Absolutely be concerned.’ Monkeypox cases are surging in South Florida
Less than eight weeks ago, the Florida Department of Health reported the state’s first presumptive case of monkeypox — a viral disease that was once rare in the United States.
Less than eight weeks ago, the Florida Department of Health reported the state’s first presumptive case of monkeypox — a viral disease that was once rare in the United States.
Now, as the number of new monkeypox cases has risen rapidly in the United States and more than 50 other countries, Florida’s case count is also surging, to 73 as of Thursday, the third most of any state, after California and New York, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were 700 confirmed U.S. cases as of Thursday, the CDC said.
And South Florida is the epicenter of the state’s outbreak, with Miami-Dade and Broward counties accounting for more than 70% of all reported cases in Florida. Broward is leading the state with 40 cases, while Miami-Dade is second with 14 cases, according to the Florida Department of Health.
“Anyone who is doing healthcare right now should absolutely be concerned and we should be very aware that this is happening,” says Dr. Aileen Marty, professor of infectious diseases in the Department of Medicine at FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.
Most Floridians diagnosed with monkeypox are middle-aged, with more than 70% of cases occurring in people between the ages of 35 and 54, according to the Florida Department of Health. They usually acquired the disease in Florida, as opposed to coming here from elsewhere with the virus, according to the department’s disease repository.