Two more monkeypox cases diagnosed in Massachusetts
BOSTON - Two new monkeypox cases have been diagnosed in Masschusetts, bring the total number in the state to six, the state's Department of Public Health announced on Wednesday.
There is no known connection between the two men who were diagnosed. The DPH is working to identify people who may have come in contact with the two men and become infected. The CDC said that 72 people have been identified as having monkeypox since the first case diagnosed in Massachusetts on May 18.
Gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men make up a large proportion of the cases identified to date, the DPH said in a public statement. Health officials said monkeypox is typically spread by skin-to-skin contact with lesions, intimate contact with an infected person, living in a house and sharing a bed with someone, unwashed towels and clothing, and respiratory secretions through face-to-face interactions that happen with people who live in the same home. It is not spread by casual contact or conversation.