Monkeypox Cases Surge In PA, 'Swift Action' Needed: Officials

PENNSYLVANIA — Monkeypox cases are rapidly rising in Pennsylvania, leading some local officials to call for additional resources and sparking concerns that another pandemic is in the wings. The World Health Organization has declared a global health emergency, and governments are asking for more vaccines, even as leadership in some areas strikes a more modest tone in their response.

Pennsylvania now has 161 cases of monkeypox, marking a significant increase from last weeks total of 64. Cases are concentrated in Philadelphia but have reached out into the surrounding suburbs, with Bucks, Montgomery, and Chester counties all recording their first cases in recent days. Contact tracing efforts are underway in an effort to control the disease.

Many leaders are urging government and the public to take the disease seriously.

“As this virus is just beginning to hit...we are already seeing the effect it’s having across the commonwealth," State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who represents Philadelphia, said in a statement. "Fear. Anxiety. Panic. We must be proactive in addressing this virus."

Pennsylvania remains among the nation's leaders in cases, with the 7th highest number of infections thus far, trailing only New York, California, Florida, Illinois, Georgia, and Texas.

The biggest concern at this point may be access to vaccines, tied closely to how much of a priority monkeypox is seen as. This is especially true in Philadelphia, where the city's website now includes a monkeypox case tracker and vaccine availability in described in all caps: "EXTREMELY LIMITED." Shot remain available only to those who are at the highest risk.

"We've seen too many times what can happen when swift actions are not taken in the wake of a global health crisis," added another Philadelphia area representative, State Rep. Brian Sims.

But in nearby Chester County, which announced their first case on Monday, officials are striking a slightly less dire tone.

“The threat of monkeypox remains low,” Chester County Health Department Director Jeanne Franklin said. “It is a rare viral disease that is not airborne and is containable particularly when prompt care is sought for symptoms."

It's one echoed by some sectors of a general public still reeling from and still fatigued from two-plus years of COVID-19 fears, restrictions, and pandemic-related precautions.

So far, monkeypox has primarily affected men who have sex with other men, both in the United States and other Western countries, according to the CDC. But anyone can get infected, and there are concerns that the disease's spread will be accelerated if it is misunderstood as something restricted to the LGBT community.

"There is no such thing as a ‘gay disease’ and treating this as such only increases stigma and reduces the likelihood that all communities will be vigilant," Kenyatta added. "We need more vaccine and easier access to testing now."

The monkeypox virus has rarely been reported outside of Central and West Africa, where host animals include a range of rodents and monkeys. It can be easily spread from animals to humans through a bite or scratch, according to the WHO. The last time the United States saw a sizable outbreak was in 2003, when 70 cases were linked to the import of infected prairie dogs.

• Related: What Is Monkeypox?

Among humans, the virus is chiefly spread through close physical contact, whether sexual or non-sexual, or by handling clothes or bedding used by an infected person. It can also be spread through respiratory droplets. Although it is not classified as a sexually transmitted disease, some U.S. experts say it could become an entrenched STD similar to gonorrhea, herpes and HIV.

• Related: 2 Children Diagnosed With Monkeypox

“The bottom line is we’ve seen a shift in the epidemiology of monkeypox where there’s now widespread, unexpected transmission,” Dr. Albert Ko, a professor of public health and epidemiology at Yale University, told The Associated Press. “There are some genetic mutations in the virus that suggest why that may be happening, but we do need a globally-coordinated response to get it under control.”

Ko called for more testing to shore up gaps in surveillance to get a better picture of monkeypox in the United States. Health officials have expanded monkeypox testing and plan to release another 1.6 million doses of the vaccine in the coming months.

“The cases we are seeing are just the tip of the iceberg,” Ko told the AP. “The window has probably closed for us to quickly stop the outbreaks in Europe and the U.S., but it’s not too late to stop monkeypox from causing huge damage to poorer countries without the resources to handle it.”

UCLA epidemiologist Anne Rimoin, who has studied monkeypox for decades, told NPR the United States is “losing daylight” in its response to monkeypox.

“Every day that we aren’t continuing to push forward on all fronts, the less likely it is that we will be able to contain it,” Rimoin said.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.