Which State Has The Most Cases Of Monkeypox?

Monkeypox, a viral disease that begins with flu-like symptoms and results in red, pus-filled blisters, hasn't been much of a topic in the United States over the years until recently. This may be because most reported cases have been isolated to countries in Africa. In fact, the two types, or clades, of monkeypox — the Central and West African clades — are named after where they were first discovered. Of the two, the West African clade is less severe (via Cleveland Clinic).  

The U.S. has reported a few cases of monkeypox over the past decades, but that number has been relatively low. In 2003, the Midwest experienced an outbreak of 47 cases that were linked to infected animals which were imported from Ghana (per Cleveland Clinic). In 2021, a case of monkeypox was reported after a U.S. resident returned from Nigeria. The latest global outbreak of the West African clade of monkeypox has raised awareness of the disease in the U.S., especially as the number of cases rises.

Currently, there are 5,546 reported cases in the U.S., with the highest number of cases, 1,390, reported in New York. In a press release, New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a "State Disaster Emergency" to bolster efforts to help the public. Those efforts include acquiring more vaccines and making tests more available. Hochul said that the state has a total of 170,000 vaccine doses available for New York residents, which it will deliver to county health departments. In addition, the New York State Department of Health recently launched a program where residents can receive the latest information about cases, testing, and vaccines via text message. Residents can receive alerts by texting "MONKEYPOX" (or "MONKEYPOXESP" for Spanish texts) to 81336, and can enter their zip code as well for location-specific information. 

As far as the rest of the country stands, California is second highest on the list, with 827 reported cases of monkeypox. Illinois comes in third with 520 cases, while Florida has the fourth largest number with 442 cases. Georgia rounds out the top five with 430 cases. Texas is in the sixth spot, with 397 cases. The numbers drop significantly from there, with Pennsylvania reporting 161 cases of monkeypox; New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Maryland round out the top 10 with 155, 134, and 129 cases respectively. Beyond that, Washington reports 123 cases and Virginia has 105. The remainder of the states have less than 100 reported cases, with most below 50.