Miami: Monkeypox Cases in Florida Go Over 500, Parents Fear for Children Ahead of New School Year
Florida's monkeypox cases jump to 525 as of Wednesday, while the global case for the virus was recorded at 25,000. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Monkeypox cases in Florida continued to grow, as the state recorded on Wednesday that hundreds of people were stricken with the virus.

According to CBS News, the Sunshine State's health department tallied the total cases of monkeypox in the state at 525.

With the number of monkeypox cases in Florida reaching hundreds, parents, including Jamie Lyn-Kee-Chow, are worried about kids due to the virus.

"Just the number spike alone is making me more anxious... I feel a little bit more on edge about Monkeypox because kids are everywhere," Lyn-Kee-Chow underscored.

Florida University infectious disease expert, Dr. Aileen Marthy, noted that in Florida, five teenagers were stricken with monkeypox. Marthy added that two of them were from Miami-Dade.

Marthy then acknowledged the importance of communication between families, citing cases of monkeypox between children in some states.

The World Health Organization (WHO) noted that children can catch monkeypox if they have "closed contact" with somebody who has symptoms.

"There have been a small number of children with monkeypox in the current outbreak," WHO added. The organization further noted that newborn infants and people with underlying immune deficiencies may also be susceptible to more serious symptoms of monkeypox and even death.

However, Dr. Marthy underscored that parents from Florida and other states should not worry.

"They're not at an increased right now of getting monkeypox because it's not spreading in that population," Marthy said.

Marthy also shared that the monkeypox virus can live on surfaces, including towels, which is why keeping surfaces clean can minimize the risk. The doctor added that handwashing and wearing face masks can also reduce the risk of having the disease.

Florida Monkeypox: Gov. Ron DeSantis on the Virus

On Wednesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis slammed politicians and the media for the fear felt by the public over the monkeypox cases in the U.S.

"I am so sick of politicians, and we saw this with Covid, trying to sow fear into the population," DeSantis noted.

DeSantis also blasted New York Governor Kathy Hochul for declaring a state of emergency over monkeypox, contending that the move will only make officials abuse their emergency powers and restrict the public's freedom.

Rep. Charlie Crist criticized the governor over his response, claiming that the governor dismissed monkeypox. Crist then stressed that Floridians need better testing, information, and vaccines for prevention.

Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Services showed that the Sunshine State was allocated over 36,000 doses of Jynneos vaccines last week. Jynneos was recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to treat monkeypox.

Monkeypox Cases in the US

As of Wednesday, the CDC reported 6,617 cases of monkeypox across the U.S. and its territories.

New York remains to be the state with the highest case of the virus amounting to 1,666. California comes next with at least 826 cases. Illinois remains the third state with the highest number of monkeypox cases with 547 infected people.

Globally, the WHO reported that 25,000 cases of monkeypox were reported in 83 countries.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

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