Local communities, leadership raise concerns about spread of Monkeypox

PHILADELPHIA - There's a growing concern among Philadelphia's gay community about the health risks of Monkeypox and the stigma linked to it. 

Darryl Moore, a Philadelphia man, believes the public needs clear and concise information on the spread of the virus with a focus on at-risk groups, like gay men.

"I don’t want this to turn into another gay disease because it’s not true this affects everybody," Moore said. "I know they're saying that men with men are the most at-risk, but this can affect everyone." 

Philadelphia's Health Department has reported 63 cases of Monkeypox, a considerable rise from 11 cases earlier this month. Pennsylvania as a hole has tallied 114 cases, while neighboring New Jersey has reported 102 cases. 

MORE ON MONKEYPOX

• Monkeypox: What you should know as the disease spreads around the world
• Infant diagnosed with monkeypox in DC, officials say
• World Health Organization declares monkeypox a global emergency

Fearing a jump in its caseload from New York, Governor Phil Murphy has alerted federal health officials that New Jersey needs more vaccines. Murphy wrote, in-part: "In regards to transmission of communicable disease, recent history indicates that as goes New York, so goes New Jersey…"

Murphy's administration isn't the only leadership group raising the alarm on Monkeypox. The World Health Organization last weekend declared Monkeypox a Global Health Emergency. 

Although monkeypox has been established in parts of central and West Africa for decades, it was not known to spark large outbreaks beyond the continent or to spread widely among people until May, when authorities detected dozens of epidemics in Europe, North America and elsewhere.

Declaring a global emergency means the monkeypox outbreak is an "extraordinary event" that could spill over into more countries and requires a coordinated global response. WHO previously declared emergencies for public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak, the Zika virus in Latin America in 2016 and the ongoing effort to eradicate polio.

Closer to home, Camden County currently has just four cases of Monkeypox, but they expect to uncover more with increased testing. County leadership is administering vaccinations with known contact to someone infected. 

"It is serious to the high risk groups because it can be transmitted through sexual contact or contact with bodily secretions such as kissing, cuddling, hugging," Gabrielle Sweeney from the Camden County Health Department said. 

Expert say Monkeypox is not a killer, but it packs a punch at a time when people are still weary from the coronavirus pandemic. According to WHO, the fatality rate for monkeypox varies between zero and 11% in the general population. 

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