Nearly 24,000 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in the United States as of Monday, according to the latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
To date, California has the highest number of confirmed cases among the states in the country, with 4,656 cases listed, followed by the state of New York (3,755) and Florida (2,398), according to the same source.
Monkeypox virus infections are rarely fatal, with most cases resolving within two to four weeks. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this disease has a mortality rate of around 3% to 6%.
Yet once infected, immunocompromised people are more likely to suffer from severe illness, according to the CDC.
US health authorities are warning doctors against overusing the only drug available for monkeypox.
Viruses are constantly evolving to better infect humans and overcome new drugs and vaccines, the CDC explained.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that the antiviral drug Tecovirimat is highly prone to resistance. Even a slight mutation of the virus could render it ineffective.
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