On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) upgraded the monkeypox alert to level 2, advising travelers to take additional precautions, such as wearing a mask.
Fox News reported that the CDC advised wearing masks after closely monitoring recent reports of monkeypox in numerous countries, including the United States.
⚠️NEW—the CDC has raised the Alert Level of #Monkeypox to Level 2 over the weekend—warning: “Travelers should wear a mask. Wearing a mask can help protect you from many diseases, including monkeypox”
➡️Why the heck was there no big CDC / media advisory on this?
HT @mdc_martinus pic.twitter.com/F4lK30JNxT
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) June 6, 2022
It appears that the agency has updated its website, removing any instructions advising travelers to wear face masks. Instead, the CDC suggests that travelers avoid close contact with infected individuals, wash their hands with soap and water, and avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth.
“People usually become infected with the monkeypox virus through contact with the skin lesions or bodily fluids of infected animals or humans (alive or dead), including respiratory droplets, or through contact with materials contaminated with the virus,” as per the CDC’s notice.
According to the CDC, monkeypox is a rare disease found primarily in the tropical rain forests of Central and West Africa. According to the agency, the disease has been detected in Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia.
“Some cases were reported among men who have sex with men. Some cases were also reported in people who live in the same household as an infected person,” CDC report stated.
The CDC reports 31 confirmed cases of monkeypox in the United States. Several states, including California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, have reported confirmed cases.
One of Florida’s four cases was also included in the U.K.’s case count because the person tested positive while in the U.K., according to the CDC.
The agency advised that antivirals developed for smallpox and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are among the limited therapy options for monkeypox.
Source: Daily Caller