Doctors in Connecticut say cases of Mpox are starting to tick up, with more than double the number of people diagnosed in the first half of 2024 compared to last year.
The Connecticut Department of Public Health announced Monday that 11 people have been diagnosed in the state so far this year. Those diagnosed are between the ages of 20 and 50 and live in Hartford, New Haven, New London and Fairfield counties.
“The reason to bring attention to this right now, is we know that one in three people who the CDC estimates to be at risk for Mpox in CT has received both vaccines,” said Dr. Manisha Juthani, DPH commissioner. “In order to be fully vaccinated against Mpox, you need to receive two vaccine doses. Some people have received only one.”
In 2022, the state saw 145 cases. After a vaccine rollout, there were only four cases of Mpox in 2023.
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“This has largely been circulating among people who are gay, men who have sex with men, and in families where that may be a situation and there is close personal contact,” Juthani added.
But doctors emphasize that anyone can get Mpox.
“It can be spread through intimate contact, and because of that, there are certain patient populations that may be at risk, such as the gay, bisexual men who have sex with men and their sexual partners, but it should be noted that anybody can get Mpox,” said Dr. Ulysses Wu, system director of infectious diseases at Hartford Healthcare. “It is also a thought that it can be transmitted through prolonged face-to-face contact, or through linens, bedding, towels.”
“It’s rising enough to the point that we all have, as practitioners, have our rabbit ears up,” Wu added.
Immunity from Mpox lasts five years after the vaccine, and those who don’t get both doses are still at risk, doctors say.
“When we look at data across the United States, there are people who have received one dose and then had an active infection with Mpox,” Juthani said. “We have a strategy and a prevention modality that can get this back under control. We’re taking this opportunity to make sure people hear this message. That if you are at risk, we really want you to consider getting vaccinated.”
Mpox presents as a rash or lesion on the skin, and people can also get a fever, muscle soreness and swollen lymph nodes.
“This can be a very painful infection. We have had no deaths from Mpox in Connecticut, even since 2022, that is the good news. We do have treatments,” Juthani said. “It’s just a plea to consider getting yourself vaccinated, both doses, because that’s the way you can continue to enjoy your summer and be safe and healthy for the rest of 2024.”
