Health Alert: CDC reports a sharp rise in new cases of Mpox

The CDC reports Mpox cases in the United States are twice as high as they were at this time last year. As of January 1st, In New York City (for example) 1,149 people have tested positive for the virus as reported by the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Ninety-four percent of the cases were among men who have sex with men.

Locally, in Pittsburgh, 11 new cases have been reported so far this year, up from only 2 in all of 2023. Dr. Ken Ho, an infectious disease doctor and researcher at UPMC, notes that he also sees an uptick in new infections. “One way to effectively fight Mpox is to get fully vaccinated,” said Dr. Ho, who is also an HIV treatment specialist. “While the majority of cases have been in gay and bisexual men, the virus is transmitted by close contact—including sexual contact—and anyone can get it.”

You can go to your doctor’s office to get vaccinated. Other local clinics and drug stores also provide the vaccine. To find local providers, go to https://npin.cdc.gov/web-tools/mpox-vaccine-locator .

To find out more about Mpox, and how to protect yourself, go to the CDC’s website at https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/mpox/index.html.

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Health Alerts are created in partnership with the Pitt Men’s Study, at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.