Some officials now say monkeypox elimination unlikely in US - The Associated Press

health officials are conceding that monkeypox is probably not going away anytime soon.

It’s important that people at risk take steps to prevent spread and that vaccination efforts continue, Lipsitch said.

The average number of daily cases being reported — fewer than 150 — is about a third what it was reported in the middle of the summer, and officials expect the decline will continue for at least the next several weeks.

If domestic transmission were stopped, infections may still continue if people catch the virus while traveling internationally, he said.

There have been more than 67,000 cases reported in countries that have not historically seen monkeypox.

Though cases have been declining, the proportion of new cases that have information about recent sexual contact is also down, officials said.