According to information from health officials, the number of monkeypox cases in Florida, and the Bay Area, continues to climb.
Three cases have been reported in Hillsborough County, along with four cases found in Pinellas County, and in a Wednesday update, Florida Department of Health officials said there are a total of 208 cases of monkeypox in the state. The majority of those, they said, were reported in South Florida.
Orange County also reported its first confirmed case of monkeypox three days ago.
Officials also said they’ve supplied monkeypox vaccines to county health departments and providers throughout the state, sending more to the counties with the most active cases.
Critics have said the vaccine availability has been slow to hit the shelves of medical facilities in Florida.
Officials said they have 25,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine supplied by the federal government and that they are prioritizing people who have had close contact with someone infected with the disease, and people considered a high risk for infection.
Monkeypox is contracted by close contact, and experts say gay men have seen the most significant impact in Florida.
Anyone who thinks they've been exposed to monkeypox is asked to contact their county health department.
In Pinellas County nine cases of the disease have been reported; in Polk County there are two; and in Sarasota there one case has been diagnosed.
Experts say that all of the cases so far have been mild and no one has died from the disease.
According to the CDC monkeypox spreads from person-to-person in different ways:
- Direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs, or body fluids
- Respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact, or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling, or sex
- Touching items (such as clothing or linens) that previously touched the infectious rash or body fluids
- Pregnant people can spread the virus to their fetus through the placenta