Monkeypox outbreak in FL is closing in on 1,000 cases

As of Monday afternoon, the number of monkeypox cases in Florida has spread to 938, in 28 counties.

The new cases come at a time when many K-12 schools will be opening this week, and thousands of students and staff will begin classes this month at Florida’s universities and community colleges.

Three new counties were added to the list as of Monday: Clay County, in Northeast Florida; Escambia, in the far Panhandle, and Marion, around Central Florida.

The largest number of cases continue to be in Miami-Dade (367 cases, as of Monday afternoon) and Broward (330) in South Florida.

Symptoms can last for weeks and can include muscle aches, a painful rash, respiratory symptoms and chills. The virus is most often spread through direct contact, including personal, skin-to-skin contact.

New York, California and Illinois just recently 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.

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.

Here are the most recent numbers from the Florida Department of Health: