Monkeypox

Health leaders are pleased with a dramatic drop in mpox cases in Orange County and throughout Florida compared to rates observed last year.

Is the mpox emergency over or is there still cause for concern? Numbers are down, but some specialists are still concerned about the likelihood of another outbreak.

These illnesses are among the recent health care headlines. Our panel of guests takes a closer look at them and other topics in the news.

The CDC estimates Hillsborough has a 52% risk of an mpox outbreak this year, while Pinellas has a 48% risk. Health officials encourage people to get vaccinated now while cases are low.

Health officials say more vaccination, testing and awareness among people at high risk for infection with mpox could curb a potential resurgence in the U.S.

The agency estimates dozens of U.S. counties are at risk for outbreaks. Duval County is at the top. Health officials say they are working to prevent the scale of infections that surprised the nation last summer.

A cluster of mpox cases in the Chicago area has sparked fears of a summer wave. Health officials are pointing to new research showing the vaccine is effective and hoping people take notice.

It was a big year for viruses, which simply refused to be ignored. And unlike the previous two years, COVID had to share the spotlight.

Cases of Mpox, which was previously named monkeypox, peaked in August and fell steadily over the past months to a daily average of seven new cases by the end of November.

"Removing 'monkey' removes the stigma that monkeypox comes with," an expert tells NPR. But he questions why the World Health Organization will wait a year for the change to take full effect.