Maryland reported another 20 cases of monkeypox Wednesday, bringing the total to nearly 150. News4’s Tracee Wilkins spoke with Dr. Peter DeMartino, the director of Infectious Disease Prevention and Health Services at the Maryland Department of Health.
Monkeypox cases are on the rise in Montgomery County, and across Maryland. Another 20 cases were reported Wednesday, making for more than 150 total cases across the state.
The Maryland Department of Health says the cases are still being contained, and it's managing vaccine availability.
When asked why D.C. was given more vaccine doses, Dr. Peter DeMartino of the Maryland Department of Health responded, "We're all in outbreak response mode. This was somewhat unexpected on some levels, and so when the strategic national stockpile assessed how much vaccine was available, and at the time they made their allocation determination, D.C. was having a very different outbreak than Maryland was, and still is."
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The District had about 3.7 cases per 10,000 residents as of Wednesday, while Maryland has about .025 cases per 10,000 residents on the same day.
Officials say monkeypox is not as easily transmissible as COVID-19, and requires prolonged skin-to-skin contact with someone who's infected.
