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The state has seen 21 confirmed cases since the first was announced on May 18.
Suspected samples of monkeypox have been seen in a refrigerator in Spain. Pablo Blasquez Dominguez/Getty Images Europe
Eight new cases of monkeypox were reported Thursday by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH). All cases were in elderly men and occurred in the past week. This brings the total number of registered cases in the state to 21. The first case was reported on May 18.
Public updates on the spread of monkeypox in Massachusetts are now published weekly, every Thursday. The eight people with new cases were diagnosed between June 23 and June 29, according to DPH. All eight people are currently in isolation to prevent further spread of the virus.
In total, there have been 351 confirmed cases of monkeypox this year in U.S. residents, according to the CDC. Patients typically recover in two to four weeks, and there have been no deaths related to the current outbreak, according to DPH.
The first cases in Massachusetts and other parts of the country were linked to international travel, but the latest cases are not. Although men who have sex with men make up a “large proportion” of the cases identified so far, the risk presented by this virus is not limited to the LGBTQ community.
Anyone who has had close contact with another person who has the virus could be at risk, although DPH said it does not spread easily between people.
Transmission usually occurs through direct contact with bodily fluids and wounds, or by touching items such as clothing and bedding that have been infected with the virus. It can also be spread through respiratory droplets, but this is less common and requires prolonged face-to-face contact. The location of rashes and lesions in very recent cases suggests transmission during sexual contact. Monkeypox is not spread through brief, casual conversations or by touching objects such as doorknobs, DPH said.
Early symptoms of the virus include rash, fever, headache, sore throat and swollen lymph nodes. Monkeypox rashes develop lesions that start out flat but become raised and filled with fluid.
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