Monkey pox

Ariana Triggs and Becky Kellogg, USA TODAY • Monkeypox was recently renamed mpox to get rid of the stigma that associated the disease with monkeys. • The US is reporting an average of six mpox cases a week, down from over 600 in August. • Mpox may never leave the country entirely, experts say, but current caseloads suggest vaccines and treatments are effective. The Biden administration hasdeclared an end to the public health emergency for the disease formerly known as monkeypox, which now accounts for fewer than 10 new cases a day in the United States. The Department of Health and Human Services "But we won’t take our foot off the gas – we will continue to monitor the case trends closely and encourage all at-risk individuals to get a free vaccine," Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a prepared statement. So how did an infectious disease that seemed to be raging out of control this summer become almost irrelevant three months later? It's a combination of luck, good behavior and effective vaccines, experts say. The The virus– similar to smallpoxbut much milder– had been contained to the African continent until lastspring, when it suddenly appeared in Europe and then the United States, spreading largely among men who hadsex with men. The first cases were detected in the United States in mid-May. The peak was reached on Aug. 1, "The outbreak has been contained, but it's not 'mission accomplished' because the virus is still here," said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease...