U.S. cases of monkeypox drop to lowest level since June: CDC

cases of monkeypox Continuous decrease In the United States, such prevalence is showing signs of decline.

As of Oct. 12, the United States recorded a seven-day average of 60 cases, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This is the lowest average recorded since June 29, which is exactly when infections began to rise. This is lower than the seven-day average of 443 cases recorded in early August. CDC data shows

Trends seen in cities around the country mirror those nationwide

In New York City — the epicenter of the outbreak — the city’s seven-day average through Oct. 11 dropped to 2. Department of Health and mental hygiene. This is a sharp decline from the high of 73 recorded in late July and early August.

Similarly, in Los Angeles, the seven-day average sat at 5, according to the latest data since October 3. Los Angeles County Department of Public Health shows, which is the lowest since early July. That’s also a marked drop from a peak of 41 in late August.

Dr. Shira Doron, an infectious disease physician and hospital epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, told ABC News that the outbreak is down for several reasons, one of which is behavioral change.

The outbreak has been primarily concentrated among men who have sex with men, a group that includes people who identify as gay, bisexual, transgender and nonbinary, though health officials say anyone — regardless of sexual orientation — can be infected if they are at risk. Direct communication with

survey showed that high-risk groups heeded public health advice and made changes such as reducing the number of sexual partners and practicing anonymous sex.

“There’s been a really significant change in sexual men,” Doron said. “A high proportion said they had made significant changes in their behavior.”

Another reason, he said, is vaccines. As of Oct. 11, more than 906,000 doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine — the only vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration to prevent smallpox and monkeypox — have been administered across the United States, according to the CDC.

To increase the number of available JYNNEOS doses, the FDA approved a New techniques In August, one vial of vaccine may be given as five separate doses, rather than one dose, to be injected just below the first layer of skin, below the subcutaneous layer, or under all layers of skin.

Doron, however, said it was too early to claim victory over the outbreak and added that it was important to take precautions in those at high-risk.

“As we’ve learned and seen with Covid, case numbers have a certain shape and what goes down can come back up,” he said. “So, we can’t rest on our laurels and think it’s over.”

“The public can relax a lot more than public health officials and hospital officials,” he added.