MARYLAND, USA — In a Tuesday update, Maryland Mayor Larry Hogan said the state has been aggressive in its response to the outbreak of monkeypox.
Maryland saw their first monkeypox case on June 16. Across the state, as of Aug. 2, confirmed cases are up to 129, which represents 2.2% of cases in the country.
“Since before our first monkeypox case was identified, the state has been mounting an aggressive response to this outbreak in coordination with local and regional partners,” Gov. Hogan said.
According to the CDC, Maryland's neighbor Virginia accounts for 105 cases and the District, which has been a known hotspot virus, has confirmed 248. Across the country, there are a total of 6,326 confirmed cases.
As cases continue to rise, the governor and the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) are working to vaccinate people who are at high risk. This includes those who have been in close contact with someone who tested positive, healthcare workers directly exposed to monkeypox testing, people who have been sexually active with someone who has been diagnosed within the past two weeks, and individuals in affected communities, such as LGBTQ+, involved in sex work or group sex activities.
“Due to the limited supply of the vaccine from the federal government, the state is working closely with local health partners to make doses available in a manner that focuses on locations that have case counts and higher-risk populations," MDH Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services Dr. Jinlene Chan said.
MDH has been given enough doses to vaccinate 3,202 patients with the two-dose Jynneos vaccine.
Vaccine supply for the rare but serious illness remains limited, and additional supply might not be available until the fall, according to a news release. The state plans to expand access as more supply becomes available.
“While vaccine supply from the federal government is severely limited at this time, anyone who believes that they may need testing or treatment should contact their healthcare provider or local health department immediately," Gov. Hogan said. "We will keep pressing the federal government to provide more vaccines to the states and do all we can to make resources available to those at risk.”
MDH has been working to combat the spread of monkeypox through testing and contact tracing.
Testing for monkeypox is available through commercial labs and the MDH state public health laboratory. After testing, extensive contact tracing is conducted by the health department and those who had close contact with the patient is offered the vaccine.
While Maryland and Virginia are sticking with a two-dose strategy, D.C. has switched to a single-dose vaccine plan to fight the growing case count of monkeypox.
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