% CORPORATIONS AND MONEY IN THE
% PACKAGE TO BOOST IRS TAX
% ENFORCEMENT.
% IN HEALTH NEWS, THE U.S.
% DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN
% SERVICES HAS DECLARED MONKEYPOX
% A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY WITH
% MORE THAN 10,000 CASES REPORTED
% NATIONALLY.%HERE IN WISCONSI
N THE STATE
% DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES IS
% PRIORITIZING VACCINE DOSES THAT
% ARE IN SHORT SUPPLY.
% CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER AND STATE
% EPIDEMIOLOGIST DR. RYAN
% WESTERGAARD IS HERE WITH AN
% UPDATE.
% NICE TO SEE YOU, DOCTOR.
% >> NICE TO BE BACK WITH YOU.
% >> WHAT IS THE STATUS OF
% MONKEYPOX IN WISCONSIN.
% HOW MANY CASES AT WEEK'S END AND
% HOW FAST ARE THEY CLIMBING?
% >> YEAH, WE ARE IN A BIT OF AN
% ACCELERATION PHASE.
% CASES ARE STILL RELATIVELY LOW.
% NATIONWIDE IN THE U.S., OVER
% 10,000 CASES THAT HAVE BEEN
% REPORTED.%IN WISCONSIN THE N
UMBER IS ONLY
% 40, AND THAT INCLUDES CASES
% INFECTED IN TEN OUT OF THE
% COUNTIES, AND WE ARE EXPECTING
% TO SEE MORE.
% >> WHAT IS MONKEYPOX, EXACTLY?
% >> MONKEYPOX IS A VIRUS THAT IS
% A COUSIN OF THE SMALLPOX VIRUS
% WHICH OF COURSE USED TO CAUSE A
% LOT OF SEVERE DISEASE BUT THEY
% ERADICATED THROUGH VACCINATION.
% MONKEYPOX IS NATURALLY FOUND IN
% SOME ANIMAL POPULATIONS, WHICH
% IS WHERE IT GOT ITS NAME AND
% SPILLED OVER INTO HUMAN
% POPULATIONS VARIOUS TIMES,
% INCLUDING ABOUT 2002, 2003 THERE
% WAS AN OUTBREAK IN THE MIDWEST.
% THIS PARTICULAR OUTBREAK IS
% DIFFERENT, ALTHOUGH IT'S NOT
% SPECIFICALLY CONSIDERED SEXUALLY
% TRANSMITTED DISEASE IT'S
% SPREADING THAT WAY IN THIS
% CURRENT GLOBAL OUTBREAK
% AFFECTING PREDOMINANTLY MEN WHO
% IDENTIFY AS GAY AND BISEXUAL.
% >> WHY IS THAT, WHY ARE GAY MEN
% IN THE HIGH RISK GROUP?
% >> I THINK THAT'S WHERE IT
% STARTED.
% THE INITIAL INFECTIONS IN SPEED
% LIMIT WERE AMONG MEN WHO HAD
% TRAVELED, WHO HAD ATTENDED LARGE
% GATHERINGS WHERE A LOT OF CLOSE
% SKIN TO SKIN OR INTIMATE CONTACT
% WAS TAKING PLACE, AND IT SPREAD
% THROUGHOUT THOSE SOCIAL AND
% SEXUAL NETWORKS AROUND THE
% WORLD.%SO I THINK IT'S IMPORT
ANT THAT
% THAT -- THE GROUP OF MEN WHO
% HAVE SEX WITH MEN OR IDENTIFY AS
% GAY OR BISEXUAL KNOW THEY ARE AT
% HIGHEST RISK BUT ALSO IMPORTANT
% FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO KNOW
% ANYONE IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO THIS.
% PEOPLE WHO ARE HOUSEHOLD
% CONTACTS, IF THEY COME INTO
% CLOSE CONTACT WITH A PERSON, OR
% EVEN WITH TOWELS OR LINENS
% SHARED CAN CONTRACT THIS VIRUS.
% SO IT'S SOMETHING EVERYONE
% SHOULD KNOW ABOUT.
% >> HOW DANGEROUS IS IT IF YOU
% GET IT?
% >> IT'S NOT PLEASANT, BUT SO FAR
% IN THE UNITED STATES NO FATAL
% CASES.
% THERE ARE HOSPITALIZATIONS
% BECAUSE OF THE NEED FOR PAIN
% CONTROL.
% THE SKIN LESIONS CAN BE PAINFUL,
% IN THE CURRENT OUTBREAK AFFECT
% THE GENITAL AREA, AND SOME
% REQUIRE HOSPITALIZATION FOR PAIN
% CONTROL.
% IT'S PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS IN
% YOUNGER PATIENTS, PREGNANT
% PEOPLE, AND PEOPLE WITH
% SUPPRESSED IMMUNE SYSTEMS.
% SO BEFORE THIS CURRENT OUTBREAK
% WE THOUGHT WE HEARD ABOUT A 1%
% MORTALITY, SO IT CAN CAUSE
% SEVERE DISEASE, BUT THESE DAYS
% IT'S PREDOMINANTLY AFFECTING
% YOUNGER AND HEALTHY MEN, SO NO
% DEATHS, THANK YOU FLY.
% >> VACCINATIONS ARE IN SHORT
% SUPPL AND NOW BEING STRETCHED.
% WHAT'S THE SITUATION IN
% WISCONSIN?
% >> WE HAVE ADMINISTERED JUST
% UNDER 1,000 DOSES TO PEOPLE AT
% THE HIGHEST RISK, AND PEOPLE WHO
% WE HAVE DETERMINED THROUGH
% PUBLIC HEALTH INVESTIGATIONS
% HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO A PERSON
% WITH KNOWN MONKEYPOX OR HIGH
% RISK, THE POPULATION OF MEN WHO
% HAVE HAD MULTIPLE SEX PARTNERS
% SO TRYING TO GET THE WORD OUT
% AND SUPPORT ALL THE CLINICAL
% PARTNERS AND PROVIDERS AND THE
% STATE TO GET THIS NEW VACCINE,
% CALLED GENAOS, OUT INTO THE
% POPULATION AND GET AS MANY OF
% THE HIGHEST RISK PEOPLE FOR THE
% MONKEYPOX VIRUS VACCINATED.
% GOOD NEWS WE ARE ABLE TO STRETCH
% THE VACCINE SUPPLY BY GIVING IT
% AT A SMALLER DOSE THROUGH A
% DIFFERENT ROUTE, AND BASED ON
% GOOD SCIENCE SHOWING IT WAS JUST
% AS EFFECTIVE AS THE TRADITIONAL
% LARGER DOSE ROUTE, SO WE ARE
% OPTIMISTIC WE HAVE ENOUGH
% VACCINE TO REACH THE PEOPLE AT
% THE GREATEST RISK RIGHT NOW.
% >> ON COVID THERE IS NEW RELAXED
% GUIDANCE FROM THE CDC.
% DOES WISCONSIN EXPECT TO FOLLOW
% THAT?
% >> YES, WE DO, AND WORKING WITH
% PARTNERS AS WE HAVE IN THE
% SCHOOL SYSTEMS AND BUSINESSES
% AND UNIVERSITIES TO SPREAD THE
% WORD ABOUT THE NEW GUIDANCE, THE
% MOST IMPORTANT ONE IS THAT WE
% ARE DOING AWAY WITH QUARANTINE.
% THESE DAYS AFTER THE NEW
% GUIDANCE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN
% EXPOSED TO A PERSON WITH
% COVID-19 IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD OR IN
% THE COMMUNITY, THEY DON'T NEED
% TO STAY HOME, NECESSARILY BUT DO
% WANT THEM TO WEAR MASKS.
% THE NEW GUIDANCE IN THE FALL AND
% THE COLD AND FLU SEASON COMING
% UPON US, WEARING MASKS MORE WHEN
% YOU FIND OUT YOU'VE BEEN EXPOSED