Monkeypox cases surpass 1,000 in FL; infections detected in children and teens

With federal health officials recently declaring monkeypox a public health emergency due to its rapid spread nationwide, Florida’s cases have surpassed 1,000 across 28 counties.

In Florida, data from the state Department of Health show a total of 1,020 monkeypox cases, as of Wednesday afternoon. Most cases have been identified in South Florida, with Miami-Dade County reporting 404 and Broward reporting 359.

Other counties with the most cases include Orange (57), Palm Beach (48), Hillsborough (39) and Pinellas (38).

The concerning disease – usually causing a characteristic rash and other symptoms – continues to spread nationwide as health officials scramble to distribute more doses of the Jynneos vaccine to combat the outbreak.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has pointed to the majority of cases occurring in men who have sex with men, but anyone can contract the virus. That said, a Georgia woman had contracted the disease while working as a cashier, according to a report from Newsweek.

And with K-12 schools opening this week, the state has reported infections among school-aged teens and one case of a young child.

According to the state data, there have been six cases among the age group of 15-19 — in Broward and Miami-Dade in South Florida, and Lee County in Southwest Florida on the Gulf side of the peninsula. In addition, there’s one infection posted in Martin County in the age group of 0-4.  Martin is in Southeast Florida, on the Atlantic Coast.

However, most cases have been among adults. Residents ages 30-34 have seen the most cases, at 193. And there have been 177 cases among the 35-39 age group, and 173 cases for the age group of 40 to 44.

Amid high demand for the vaccine, the Biden administration on Tuesday issued new guidance that permits health care providers to change the way they’re administering vaccines to stretch out the supply.

The federal government on Aug. 4 declared a public health emergency over monkeypox, and in July, the World Health Organization declared it a public health emergency of international concern.

Recently, New York, California and Illinois had declared a state of emergency due to the monkeypox virus. But in Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis shut down the idea of declaring a state of emergency, even as cases were climbing, the Florida Phoenix reported.