The number of MONKEYPOX cases continues to rise in the US as 29 new infections have been discovered, data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows.
The latest update by the CDC on Tuesday brings the country’s total number of cases to 142, just a month since the first US case was discovered.
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The US confirmed the first case of monkey pox in a traveler who returned to Massachusetts from Canada on May 17.
The country has reported 72 cases in 18 states in the past month, making it the largest monkeypox outbreak in the US.
California has been hit hardest with 21 confirmed cases, followed by New York with 17 and Illinois with 13.
Anyone can get the disease, especially if you have been in contact or have had sexual contact with someone with symptoms.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines on Tuesday about identifying monkeypox during the outbreak.
Traditionally, people with monkey pox have developed fever, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, and muscle aches.
The symptoms are followed by a rash that starts on their face or mouth and then spreads to other parts of their body – especially the hands and feet.
However, in some recent cases, patients first developed a rash in the mouth or around the genitals or anus.
And instead of widespread rashes, some patients saw scattered or localized lesions in areas other than the face, hands, or feet.
Sometimes flu-like symptoms developed after the rash, but other people didn’t have those symptoms at all.
Scientists have warned of unusual symptoms in US patients not previously associated with the virus.
Some patients have reported pain in or around the anus and rectum, rectal bleeding, proctitis (painful inflammation of the lining of the rectum), or a feeling of needing to have a bowel movement even though the bowel is empty.