Monkeypox is much better and under control, but there is a lack of demand!
Monkeypox is much better and under control, but there is a lack of demand!
Updated on July 29, 2022 12:29 PM by Ava Sara
Testing Monkeypox!
A crucial part of containing the growing outbreak has gotten off to a sluggish start at the five commercial laboratories that are doing the nation testing for Monkeypox.
Samples received!
Since 11th July, the capacity to process 1000 Monkeypox samples a week has received only 45 specimens. Five thousand weekly tests but received zero samples over the past two weeks. According to Dr. Brian Caveney, Labcorp, one of the largest commercial labs in the US, has been higher but still extremely low.Add Block
First outbreak!
In the US, the first outbreak case was reported on 17th May, where the virus has spread rapidly to reach 4,639 confirmed cases, all of which are men who have same-sex with men. The outbreak under control has been a challenge for the US, which is expected to name a Monkeypox coordinator and declare the virus a public health emergency.
Handle testing!
President Biden's chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, described the testing as a pillar of the government's Monkeypox response. He and other health officials have repeatedly assured Americans have a high capacity to handle testing, with labs processing 80,000 specimens per week.Add Block
Commercial labs!
Mostly 70,000 specimens are in private labs. The five labs handle the growing case numbers as engaged by the CDC. Testing is a major part of the Monkeypox containment effort for two reasons. The first is identifying and isolating patients and giving public health officials an idea of the scope.Add Block
Steep learning curve!
In the United States, there had been just a few dozen cases of Monkeypox this year. A newly emerging pathogen set out to educate health care providers to detect the disease, order tests, and treat it.
Health Alert Network!
The agency sent emails through its Health Alert Network and hosted two calls attended by more than 17,000 doctors and other clinical. The CDC sent out emails to physicians announcing the availability of testing at the five private labs.
Monkeypox is spread by prolonged skin-to-skin contact where the doctor gets a detailed patient history. It’s very difficult for clinicians to get an accurate history of someone’s contact if it may be a week or two.Add Block
Adoption of testing!
For some people, Monkeypox may not seek care for fear. David Harvey, Executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, said that his organization doesn't send specimens to private labs because it’s too expensive to hire staff to manage the paperwork and the volume of Monkeypox tests at private labs are also low.
The slow spread of the virus!
Monkeypox cases continue to rise in states and communities that rely heavily on health clinics' expertise in disease detection, contact tracing, symptom monitoring, and community education with their community connections that help slow the spread of the virus.