Federal health officials on Thursday declared the monkeypox virus a public health emergency in the U.S., where Michigan has cases and vaccines.
As of Wednesday, 66 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 11 counties in Michigan, according to the state health department’s website. On Friday, 37 cases were reported in the state.
On Wednesday, the state reported 17 cases in Detroit; 12 cases in Oakland County; nine in Wayne County in addition to Detroit; 8 in Macomb County; seven in Kent County; four in Ingham County; three in Washington County; Two in Ottawa County and one each in Ionia, St. Clare, Livingston and Montcalm Counties.
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More than 6,600 cases had been reported in the country as of Wednesday, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This week, President Joe Biden announced the White House’s new national monkeypox coordinator and deputy coordinator.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a briefing with federal health officials on Thursday that she expects cases to continue to rise as people gain access to testing. In addition to the potential for more infections, cases may increase due to more widely available testing.
More than 26,000 cases have been reported in 87 counties worldwide, 80 of which have no history of monkeypox. The World Health Organization declared monkey disease a global health emergency on July 23.
Michigan has a vaccine
Michigan will receive about 14,500 doses of the Ginnyos vaccine, said Chelsea Wood, spokeswoman for the state health department.
The Jynneos vaccine is a two-dose regimen approved for use against smallpox and monkeypox that prevents infection in exposed individuals and limits the severity of symptoms.
Symptoms include fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, muscle aches, sore throat and a rash that looks like acne or blisters, the CDC says.
He recommends getting the vaccine within four days of exposure for the best chance of preventing the onset of the disease. If the vaccine is given 4 to 14 days after exposure, it may reduce symptoms but not prevent the disease, the agency said.
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About 10,460 doses of the vaccine were recently allocated to Michigan by the CDC, with 4,180 doses in the first wave and another 3,138 doses in the second wave available starting in August, Wuth said. 15. The remaining 3,138 doses will be in the third wave, the timing of which will be determined, he said.
Michigan had received a little more than 7,600 doses as of Thursday, Wuth said.
State health officials said doses of the Ginneos vaccine had already been distributed to centers in Detroit, as well as Oakland, Washington, Kent, Kalamazoo, Ingham, Genesee and Grand Traverse counties. These vaccines may be redistributed by state as needed.
As of Tuesday morning, 416 people had received the Jynneos vaccine, Wuth said.
According to him, currently there is no district division of vaccine administered by the health department in the state.
“It’s important that we don’t have real-time data on the vaccines department and that there is little reporting on administration data,” he said.
Where to get the vaccine in Detroit
Detroit is offering vaccines to city residents who have been exposed to or suspect they may have been infected with the monkeypox virus.
The city health department announced last week that it is offering the Jynneos vaccine at the Wayne HIV/STI Clinic, 50 East Canfield, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays of the month and at the health department office, 100 Mack Ave., Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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Vaccines are administered as the first dose during initial allocation from the state health department.
They are given to prevent the spread of the virus in people exposed to monkeypox and in geographies, settings, events or places where the monkeypox virus is known to be at risk, according to the release.
Staff writer Kristen Jordan Schamus contributed to this report.
Contact Christina Hall at chall@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @challreporter.
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