Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — At Tuesday’s COVID-19 Task Force weekly briefing, the Health Department presented information regarding the monkeypox outbreak in several countries including the U.S and that the vaccination for this new virus is available in the U.S but not yet in American Samoa, according to ASG officials who attended the briefing.

There have been local concerns including from lawmakers, task force members and others in the community about the monkeypox virus — as international news outlets report the outbreak in the U.S, including reports of cases in Hawaii.

As of early afternoon of July 19, the U.S confirmed total cases of monkeypox at 2,108 and the report includes 8 cases in Hawai’i, according to the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) online data, which also includes a global count.

While the CDC recommends a vaccination for monkeypox — and there are two vaccines — DoH Clinical Service director Dr. Elizabeth Lauvao informed the task force that none is available on island yet.

A DoH slide presentation — based on CDC updated information — at the task force briefing shows that: “Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus.” Additionally, monkeypox virus is part of the same family of viruses as variola virus, the virus that causes smallpox.

Furthermore, monkeypox symptoms are similar to smallpox symptoms, but milder, and “monkeypox is rarely fatal” and it is not related to chickenpox.

Symptoms of monkeypox can include: fever, headache, muscle aches and backache; swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion. Other symptoms include a rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, and genitals.

For the U.S monkeypox outbreak, DoH reports that the CDC is tracking the virus that has spread across several countries that don’t normally report monkeypox, including the U.S.

Additionally, the monkeypox virus is spreading mostly through close, intimate contact with someone who has monkeypox. “You can take steps to prevent getting monkeypox and lower your risk during sex,” the DoH slide presentation states.

And the CDC recommends vaccination for people who have been exposed to monkeypox and people who are at higher risk of being exposed to monkeypox.

The DoH report states that the two vaccines licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are available for preventing monkeypox infection – JYNNEOS - also known as Imvamune or Imvanex - and ACAM2000.

In the U.S, there is currently a limited supply of JYNNEOS, although more is expected in coming weeks and months.

On the other hand, there is an ample supply of ACAM2000. “However, this vaccine should not be used in people who have some health conditions, including a weakened immune system, skin conditions like atopic dermatitis/eczema, or pregnancy,” DoH report says. “No data are available yet on the effectiveness of these vaccines in the current outbreak.”

Steps to prevent getting monkeypox include: avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like monkeypox; do not touch the rash or scabs of a person with monkeypox; and do not kiss, hug, cuddle or have sex with someone with monkeypox.

For more specific details and other information about monkeypox see the CDC website (https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/index.html).

ASG officials say DoH continues to work closely with the CDC on this latest virus and will present any new updates at the next task force meeting next week.  The DoH presentation was based on CDC public data.