Here are nine updates about the monkeypox virus outbreak as the U.S. tops 21,000 cases:
1. There are currently 21,540 monkeypox cases in the U.S., according to a Sept. 8 CDC count.
2. Infectious disease experts from St. Luke's University Health Network called on dentists Aug. 15 to watch out for oral lesions caused by monkeypox as the number of cases rises in the U.S.
3. An August study found that two doses of the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine generate low antibody levels with poor capacity to neutralize the virus.
4. HHS recently gave drug wholesale company AmerisourceBergen $19.8 million to speed up delivery of monkeypox vaccine doses and treatments.
5. The U.S. confirmed its first death of a patient with monkeypox Aug. 30.
6. The World Health Organization said Aug. 25 that newly reported monkeypox cases fell by more than 20 percent globally, but new cases increased in the U.S. and Latin America. Some large U.S. cities have begun to see the number of cases plateau as well.
7. Monkeypox virus DNA was found on high-contact surfaces in the Utah home of two infected individuals.
8. Molecular diagnostics company Qiagen launched the first syndromic test that differentiates between monkeypox and five other viruses with similar symptoms.
9. The WHO began accepting proposals to rename monkeypox in an effort to align with best practices for naming diseases and avoid offense to any group.