Monkeypox: Los Angeles Confirms First Death From Disease But U.S. Cases Continue To Drop

The first confirmed death due to monkeypox in the U.S. has been reported by a Los Angeles resident who was severely immunocompromised.

The death of another patient in Texas, who was also severely immunocompromised and had been diagnosed with monkeypox, has yet to be determined.

According to the Los Angeles County Public Health Department, there were only 32 new monkeypox infections in the week ending September 10, compared to 141 the week before.

Increased availability of vaccines and behavior changes among men who have sex with men who have been disproportionately affected by the outbreak have led to a drop in new cases in other cities.

PLAY Forbes Business Read More Read More Read More Read More Read More Read More 1/1 Skip Ad Continue watching after the ad Visit Advertiser websiteGO TO PAGE

Since students return to campus, there have been cases of monkeypox. The risk of monkeypox is different from the risk of Covid-19 as it is only spread through close contact with an infectious person or contaminated materials. According to Forbes, schools are taking a number of steps to prepare, including by coordinating with local and federal health authorities and providing training from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for student health service workers.

Key Background

According to the CDC, there have been at least 18 deaths in the ongoing monkeypox outbreak. There have been at least ten deaths in Africa this year, where the virus is endemic in certain regions, though smaller outbreaks have not received much international attention in the past. According to the World Health Organization, the case fatality rate for monkeypox has ranged from 3% to 6% in the last few years. The US is trying to increase the availability of Tpoxx to treat the disease. The WHO and the U.S. have declared monkeypox a public health emergency to help streamline resources, while the U.S. has approved a new vaccine strategy to stretch supplies. With more vaccines available in the U.S. and Europe, the initial epicenter of the outbreak, monkeypox cases have begun to decline globally in recent weeks.

The colleges are preparing for the possibility of a monkeypox outbreak when students return.

The concern of campus spread is raised by monkeypox infections reported by colleges.

There has been a death due to monkeypox in the US.