Predicting the new monkeypox outbreak

The recent rise in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States foreshadowed the new monkeypox outbreak. The alarming STI numbers and a detailed description of monkeypox and its prevention and treatment are published in the journal AIDS Patient Care and STDs.

The 2.4 million cases of STIs recorded in the U.S. in 2020 reflected a 45% increase in gonorrhea, a 52% increase in syphilis, and a 235% increase in congenital syphilis over the previous 5 years, according to author and Editor-in-Chief of AIDS Patient Care and STDs Jeffrey Laurence, MD, from Weill Cornell Medicine.

"If these disturbing trends are to be reversed, then recommitment to public health initiatives along with the normalization of STI screening in all healthcare settings is required," states Dr. Laurence. The very recent outbreak of monkeypox worldwide, predominantly among men who have sex with men (MSM), is a clear example of failure to support such a commitment."

Dr. Laurence presents a primer on monkeypox and reviews the vaccines and therapeutics available to prevent and treat the disease. In addition to accelerating vaccine production, he discusses options for how we might intervene to prevent a monkeypox pandemic.