“As Monkeypox Rises, Smallpox Vaccines Will Be Offered”

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is expected to announce that the smallpox vaccine will be made available to some people who may have been exposed to animals infected with monkeypox, since the smallpox vaccine can protect against monkeypox. The investigation into monkeypox has now been expanded to four states--Indiana, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Illinois--with the number of suspected cases at 50. CDC officials say that the sudden rise in cases--up from the 23 reported this past weekend--is due to the publicity that has led people to report in to health officials. Typical monkeypox symptoms include fever, drenching sweats, headaches, chills, dry cough, swollen lymph nodes, and eventually rashes that produce scabs. The CDC is working on a definition of human monkeypox to be used in determining who should get smallpox vaccinations. A subgroup of a national panel of immunization experts is also discussing the use of the smallpox vaccine in the monkeypox outbreak.

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