Xinhua
24 Jun 2022, 08:30 GMT+10
The CDC has begun shipping monkeypox tests to five commercial laboratories. Healthcare providers will be able to use monkeypox testing services in early July, and more tests will be available throughout the month.
LOS ANGELES, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. administration has announced expanding monkeypox testing capacity in order to cope with rising infection cases.
A total of 173 reported monkeypox cases have been reported in 25 states across the country as of Thursday, according to the latest data of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The United States plans to start testing for monkeypox at five of the nation's largest commercial laboratories, broadening its effort beyond government facilities in an effort to address rising case numbers, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said Wednesday.
It is not clear how people were exposed to monkeypox, but early data suggest that gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men make up a high number of cases, said the CDC. "However, anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has monkeypox is at risk," the agency noted.
With more than 3,200 confirmed cases of monkeypox reported in nearly 50 countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) is meeting Thursday to consider whether to classify the ongoing monkeypox outbreak as a "global emergency."
"Person-to-person transmission is ongoing and is likely underestimated," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday.
The U.S. CDC is urging healthcare providers nationwide to be alert for patients who have rash illnesses consistent with monkeypox, regardless of whether they have travel or specific risk factors for monkeypox and regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
In order to address rising case numbers, the CDC has begun shipping monkeypox tests to the five companies: Aegis Science, Labcorp, Mayo Clinic Laboratories, Quest Diagnostics and Sonic Healthcare, according to the HHS.
Healthcare providers will be able to use the testing services in early July, and more tests will be available throughout the month, according to the HHS.
"By dramatically expanding the number of testing locations throughout the country, we are making it possible for anyone who needs to be tested to do so," HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement.
Experts have warned that the United States should avoid repeating mistakes made during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when testing was bogged down by supply strains and regulatory hurdles, leading to delays in responding to the crisis.
Health professionals also express concern that the country is not testing enough, leaving it unable to accurately assess how quickly monkeypox is spreading.
Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. Monkeypox is rare and does not spread easily between people without close contact, according to the CDC.
The disease mostly occurs in west and central Africa and only very occasionally spreads elsewhere.
The first U.S. case was reported to the CDC on May 17.
Get a daily dose of Kenya Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Kenya Star.
More InformationNew Delhi [India], July 2 (ANI): After England pacer Stuart Broad bowled the most expensive over in Test history on ...
Schloss Elmau [Germany], July 2 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a clear message for the world's richest nations comprising ...
Birmingham [UK], July 2 (ANI): England pacer Stuart Broad on Saturday bowled the most expensive over in the history of ...
Addis Ababa [Ethiopia], July 2 (ANI/Xinhua): The Ethiopian government and its partners have launched a new multi-sectoral nutrition initiative that ...
Birmingham [UK], July 2 (ANI): England pacer Stuart Broad completed 550 wickets in Test cricket on Saturday. Broad reached this ...
Birmingham [UK], July 2 (ANI): History was created by Jasprit Bumrah on Saturday as the stand-in India captain took a ...
DUBAI, UAE: The Arab states have built significant amounts of solar and wind power installations, and are in line to ...
ASSAM, India: During this week's heavy rains, which caused the region's worst floods in years, staff at the Cachar Cancer ...
KAREN STATE, Myanmar - Over the past three days, an army outpost meters away from Myanmar's border with Thailand has ...
BERLIN, Germany: A German Interior Ministry spokesperson has said that in a bid to relieve airports overwhelmed by staff shortages ...
WATFORD, UK: Watford F.C. has cancelled a friendly match against the Qatar national team due to the Gulf country's human ...
JAKARTA, Indonesia: Indonesian President Joko Widodo has said that he will urge his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts to open peace ...