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 WISCONSIN 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 NUMBER 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 IMPORTANT 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