Multiple people at the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility in Iowa have caught mpox.
“Affected individuals are receiving care, and enhanced sanitation and isolation protocols are in place to prevent further spread,” said Iowa Department of Corrections Chief of Staff Paul Cornelius in a statement to Des Moines’s KCCI. He didn’t say how many people have been infected in total.
Monkeypox is broken down into two strains, clade 1 and clade 2. Symptoms are reminiscent of a flu and it can also cause skin lesions. Clade 1 is more severe, with a mortality rate around 1.7%, and is what’s affecting many African countries. Clade 1 hasn’t been found in the United States. Clade 2 is a less severe illness with a 99.9% survival rate—that’s what was found in Iowa.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox an international public health emergency last month following an outbreak in Central Africa. This is the second time that WHO has declared mpox an international emergency since 2022. On August 14, the US Department of Health and Human Services issued a news statement that said the United States has a “very low” risk from clade 1 strain of mpox, however.
The virus can be spread in multiple ways, including “close contact (including intimate or sexual contact) with a person with mpox, and through contact with contaminated materials,” according to the CDC.
By far, mpox primarily affects men—and gay or bisexual men, specifically. Of the CDC’s confirmed cases in the US between October 1, 2023, and April 30, 2024, 94% were cisgender men. Only 20% of the total cases reported sexual orientation data, but of the ones that did, 90% identified as gay or bisexual.
The incident in Iowa isn’t cause for panic, however. That being said, it’s best to be aware of the virus and as always, to remain diligent. There’s a vaccine.
The post Mpox Outbreak Hits Iowa Prison As Multiple Inmates Infected appeared first on VICE.
The post Mpox Outbreak Hits Iowa Prison As Multiple Inmates Infected appeared first on VICE.
