The World Health Organization earlier on Thursday said monkeypox cases reported globally declined 21% last week, after a month-long trend of rising infections, but noted that US cases continued to rise.
Monkeypox, which is spread through close contact with an infected individual and the pus-filled sores common to the disease, is rarely fatal. Chowell's latest model, released on Thursday, forecasts a continued slowdown in new infections in the United States over the next four weeks. The declines may not be enough to extinguish the outbreak, but should bring infections to "very low levels,” he said.
"I suspect behavior change will stick only until folks get two doses of the Jynneos vaccine," she said.New York City's health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, in a tweet on Thursday acknowledged the declining cases. "We are cautiously optimistic about this data, but will be closely following to ensure it is a sustained trend."
There are other signs as well. According to data on the CDC's website, the percentage of positive tests in public health and some commercial labs - an indicator of transmission rates - has fallen sharply, from 55% positive on July 16 to 24% on Wednesday.