Monkeypox Declared Global Emergency: What It Means For NJ

NEW JERSEY — With the outbreak spreading to more than 75 different countries, the World Health Organization pulled its highest alarm Saturday and declared monkeypox a global emergency. With 81 cases in New Jersey as of Monday, here's what residents should know about the disease.

What Does A Global Emergency Mean?

The term "global health emergency" may sound scary, especially since the WHO has used the term over the past few years to describe the COVID-19 pandemic. But the designation doesn't necessarily mean that an outbreak will produce high death tolls or require major changes in behavior from the general population.

In this case though, it does mean that international coordination will be necessary to stop the outbreak.

"We have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The United Nations health agency made similar declarations for diseases less transmissible and/or lethal than COVID-19, including the 2014 ebola outbreak in West Africa, the emergence of the Zika virus in Latin America in 2016, and ongoing efforts to eradicate polio.

Here's how the WHO recommends that countries handle the monkeypox outbreak:

• Implement a coordinated response to stop transmission and protect vulnerable groups.
• Engage and protect affected communities.
• Intensify surveillance and public-health measures.
• Strengthen clinical management and infection prevention and control in hospitals and clinics.
• Accelerate research into the use of vaccines, therapeutics and other tools.

Low Death Toll Doesn't Mean Non-Issue

The global outbreak grew to nearly 16,000 cases, including five deaths, as of Saturday. Compared to COVID — attributed to at least 6.3 million deaths worldwide — that's a relatively low death toll. New Jersey sustained 51 COVID deaths in the past week alone, according to the CDC.

But despite the appearing to involve a not-so-lethal form of monkeypox, the outbreak sparks concerns. Monkeypox is considered endemic in Western and Central Africa, but the growing case total around the world leaves questions for epidemiologists — and ultimately, governments — to get to the bottom of why this is occurring.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo — Africa's second-largest nation in terms of land mass, with a population of 89 million — saw 1,238 monkeypox cases and 57 deaths from January through April. But in the past few months, the United States (2,890 cases as of Friday), Spain (3,125), Germany (2,268), the United Kingdom (2,208) and France (1,567) have exceeded the African nation's case total, while sustaining fewer deaths.

Monkeypox has two distinct genetic clades: the Central African (Congo Basin) clade and the West African clade. The Congo Basin clade has historically caused more severe disease, but viruses sequenced during the current outbreak show the less deadly clade pushing the global outbreak.

Currently, monkeypox can be stopped through execution of a global-mitigation strategy, the WHO says. But like any contagious disease, the more it spreads, the harder it becomes to contain.

What Are The Symptoms?

Symptoms generally start one to two weeks after exposure but in some cases may not appear for up to 21 days. The most common symptoms are rashes and sores that look like blisters or pimples. The rash and sores can be painful and typically last two to four weeks.

Some people also get flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, tiredness and swollen lymph nodes. People who think they may have been exposed to monkeypox or who have symptoms should speak with a health care provider, the New Jersey Department of Health says.

How It Spreads (Yes, Kids Can Get It)

The virus most often spreads through direct contact with a rash or sore of someone who has monkeypox, according to the New York City Department of Health. It can also spread through contact with bedding, clothing and other items a person with monkeypox has used.

Transmission can happen during sex and other intimate activities because of close contact, but it's not known whether monkeypox can spread through saliva, semen or vaginal fluids, according to New York City health officials.

"Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease in the classic sense," said Northwestern Medicine infectious diseases expert Dr. Robert L. Murphy, "but it is spread by close physical contact with lesions."

Anyone can catch monkeypox, including kids. A toddler and an infant tested positive for monkeypox in the U.S., the CDC announced Friday. Health officials say the current outbreak has mostly been spread through intimate physical contact. But it can also spread through prolonged, face-to-face contact — three or more hours within 6 feet of someone with the virus — according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Where Monkeypox Stands In NJ

The state has 81 monkeypox cases as of Monday, according to the New Jersey Department of Health. That's a small number compared to COVID, of which the state has confirmed nearly 2.2 million cases since the onset of the pandemic. But the case total has grown relatively quickly in past weeks.

State officials reported New Jersey's first probable case June 18, and the state health department tallied only four cases to end June. But the case total went from 22 on July 13, to 41 on July 18, to the latest total of 81 infections. That means the virus's case total essentially doubled in one week.

The state received 2,700 additional doses last week of the JYNNEOS vaccine that works on monkeypox. Vaccine availability remains limited to certain people potentially exposed to the virus though. Read more: Monkeypox Vaccine Eligibility Expands In NJ As Cases Rise

What People Should Do

People can take the following measures to prevent getting monkeypox, according to the CDC:

• Avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like monkeypox.
  • Do not touch the rash or scabs of a person with monkeypox.
  • Do not kiss, hug, cuddle, or have sex with someone with monkeypox.
  • Do not share eating utensils or cups with a person with monkeypox.
• Do not handle or touch the bedding, towels, or clothing of a person with monkeypox.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

The New Jersey Department of Health recommends taking the following steps if you might have monkeypox:

• Seek medical care immediately.
• Call ahead before you arrive at a doctor's office, urgent-care center or hospital, so they can be ready to isolate you from others.
• Wear a mask to prevent the spread of respiratory droplets.
• Monkeypox rashes that occur in the genital or anal area may look like herpes or syphilis. So be sure to tell your health care provider if you were in contact with someone who had/has monkeypox.

Patients with confirmed or suspected monkeypox should isolate themselves from others. Those who don't need hospitalization but remain potentially infectious should isolate at home, the CDC says. Decisions to end quarantines should come after consultation with local and state health departments.

People with monkeypox should continue isolating until all lesions have resolved, the scabs have fallen off and a new layer of skin has formed, according to the CDC.

The United States has no mandatory quarantine for monkeypox, but several nations have instituted them. Belgium became the first, introducing a mandatory 21-day quarantine for monkeypox patients in late May.