The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that no new cases of the mpox virus were reported in the United States during the week of April 23, 2023, according to an article published in CBS News. In the United States, cases of mpox have totaled over 30,000 with 42 deaths—a majority of which have been among Black male patients—since May 2022, when the outbreak first occurred. After the public health emergency was ended in late 2022, cases have fallen from about 16 per day to 0 per day in the last week of April.
Experts weighed in on the CDC’s report, citing a combination of higher levels of infection-induced immunity as well as network immunity, greater Jynneos vaccine uptake, and preventive measures taken by the at-risk community as potential factors that may have contributed to the sharp decline in cases. However, they noted that cases have also declined in countries that lack vaccines and that more research will be needed to understand why the mpox outbreak has been curtailed. The experts warned that as summer travel gains momentum, mpox cases could increase again. “If mpox reintroduction occurs and no additional vaccination or sexual behavior adaptations occur, the risk of a resurgent mpox outbreak is greater than 35%,” the CDC concluded.