Florida monkeypox cases top 500, most in Miami-Dade, Broward
MIAMI - The number of monkeypox cases in Florida is on the rise.
The state's health department said there are now 525 cases. More than half were in our tri-county area.
The health department said there were 135 confirmed or probable cases in Miami-Dade, 237 cases in Broward, and 12 cases in Monroe.
New national data shows the number of new monkeypox cases is doubling about every week. so far, there have been more than 6,300 reported cases across 48 states. New York, California, and Illinois have declared states of emergency to help fight the outbreak. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he would not declare a state of emergency.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the virus is spread mostly through close intimate contact.
"Generally speaking it is largely sexually transmitted and it is also very limited in many ways as to who is getting infected. It's a very small group of very highly sexually active gay men, generally, that are getting infected with this," said Dr. Michael Osterholm.
The virus can also be transmitted by direct contact with an active rash, or indirect contact with an active rash through contaminated items, such as contaminated clothing.
Monkeypox is not considered a highly contagious disease, and the risk of contracting it is generally low.
Monkeypox typically begins with flu-like symptoms (e.g., fever, chills, headache, tiredness, muscle aches) and swelling of the lymph nodes and progresses to a rash on the face and body. The duration of illness is usually 2 to 4 weeks.
